Greetings, dear brethren, those of the Remnant Body of our Lord Jesus Christ who occupy until He comes. It has been a good while since you have received an update from our side, and for that I apologize. As the summer is coming to a close, things remain abuzz for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ here at Full Proof Gospel Ministries. Thank you for your prayers and support. After the ministry precedent set by Paul and Barnabas when they returned to Antioch following the First Missionary Journey (Acts 14:26-27), we desire to rehearse for you in this post all that God has done, particularly with our first summer volunteer team up in Ladakh (the work of mustering next summer's team has already begun), how He gave a door of utterance amongst the lost sheep of the House of Israel and yet also "opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles." This summer, with a solid group of young people who truly grew in their walk with the Lord, FPGM had the great privilege to taking the Gospel TO THE JEW FIRST AND ALSO TO THE GENTILE in the high places of the earth.

Sharing the Gospel at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks back in 2009

But first, let me entreat your prayers. In a few days, I will be traveling alone up to Anchorage, Alaska to rendezvous with two dear brothers who have worked in partnership with Full Proof Gospel Ministries in the past, both here on American soil and in Nepal. For two weeks, we will be traveling around Alaska, preaching the Word of God on street corners and on college campuses. Lord willing, we will also be flying up to Barrow, the northernmost city in the United States with a population of approximately 4,300 people, mostly Iñupiat Eskimo. There, we hope to encourage the brethren of a small church and scatter seeds of the Gospel a mere 1,200 miles south of the North Pole. Don't underestimate the value of exhorting and encouraging the brethren, particularly those that subsist in their faith in lonely and dark places. I know that loneliness and the surrounds of spiritual darkness when I would give anything to have a visiting brother, the fellowship of the saints, or a fellow missionary in my abode. Just to fellowship and edify the Body of Christ in a place like Barrow is worth whatever it takes or whatever it costs to get there. Anyway, praise God for a brother in Anchorage who is opening his home to us and providing us with a vehicle as we travel between Anchorage and Fairbanks. I haven't been back to the Great Land since pedaling my bicycle to Prudhoe Bay back in 2009. That was Ricky Springer's very first missionary journey. Now, I get the distinct privilege of reporting his service for the Lord as a full-time laborer with FPGM with a heart for the Jewish people. It's amazing how much has transpired since I first took Ricky to Alaska. To God be the glory! And praise be to Him for an opportunity to revisit places and college campuses where we once preached and endured days that seemed difficult and to be about small things, never knowing how the Lord would use them to stage abundant fruit years later and thousands of miles away. I marvel at the Divine Hand of Providence and am reminded of the prophet's vision concerning Zerubbabel and the laying of the temple foundation, a day of what seemed to involve only small and difficult things: "For who hath despised the day of small things for they shall rejoice" (Zechariah 4:10). My flight leaves September 5th, and I return home on the 19th. I covet your prayers.

This past weekend, the last member of Team Yeshua (the designation for this summer's Ladakh volunteer team) finally returned home after spending a couple of weeks here in North Carolina. As we drove her to the airport before dawn on Sunday morning, it hit me that this summer, something for which Brother Ricky and I spent countless hours planning and preparing, has finally come to an end. Our primary purpose with this team was to proclaim the Gospel TO THE JEW FIRST in a place that attracts many Israeli backpackers who come to dabble in the enigmas and deceptions of Tibetan Buddhism. But, because many unreached Nepali-speakers, Ladakhis, Kashmiri Muslims, and foreign trekkers of Western nations also pass through the area, we knew the work would necessarily be ALSO TO THE GENTILE. With full understanding of the surrounding context in which the Apostle Paul addresses the Jewish community in Rome, we chose Acts 28:31 as our theme verse. As such proved his testimony at the end of two years of ministry spent in Rome, we prayed that we could look back at the end of our summer ministry with the same testimony in a closed area from which Christians and Kingdom laborers have been expelled or thrown out by government authorities:

"Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding" (Acts 28:31).

Can we do so? Did the Lord answers our prayers, and is this now the retrospective testimony of Team Yeshua? You decide as I, Brother Ricky, and some of the team members rehearse "all that God had done with them" (Acts 14:27):

preaching the kingdom of God

This Summer's Overland Travel in Northern India

These are Brother Ricky's words:

Crossing the 16,000 ft. Baralachula Pass into Ladakh in a Tempo Traveller

After spending three months here spreading the Gospel in the Ladakh, Zanskar, and Himalayan mountain ranges of the northernmost reaches of India, I am truly travel-weary. If I never again sit in a bumpy van riding over another underdeveloped mountain road at these high altitudes, I would be content. As I think back over the summer, I visualize a map of this region, and I can see a little Tempo Traveller putzing along each road on the map. It is truly an honor to be serving with Full Proof Gospel Ministries, seeing a goal of this ministry realized: to take the Gospel to the literal ends of the road. I can honestly testify that this has been accomplished here in India’s northernmost state.

This summer, Lord willing, will be the first season of many here in South Asia in which FPGM hosts teams of young missions-minded believers to carry out the Great Commission. Six young adults volunteered this year to aide me in my work among the droves of Israeli backpackers that travel through this part of the world. After Jesse and I picked them up in Delhi back on June 4th, we spent a couple of days letting them adjust to the new time zone and get familiar with each other. We then traveled the 770 miles overland from India’s capital city to the mountain hub of Leh. Using Leh Town as our central base for the summer, we were able to go out in every direction on the compass with the Gospel. This strategy of using a main town or city for a Gospel Center/Base has been a great strategy FPGM has employed on many occasions. Aside from DOING the evangelism this summer we felt that our second biggest goal was to TEACH as much as possible to these young believers. Evangelism, missiology, eschatology, hermeneutics, the Book of Hebrews, the Book of Romans, Galatians, Jewish history, Jewish Evangelism. Each day was accompanied with at least an hour or two of teachings. And, aside from getting book-smart with the Scriptures, we hope that our daily examples of practically handling ourselves and managing the trip here on the field was of equal importance, justifying the teachings we gave (i.e. using a central base for evangelism in any given area; see the Book of Acts).

We crumbed at least 18 ancient cliffside monasteries.

Throughout the summer, we trekked; we targeted ancient monasteries that hang on the cliff sides patrolling the activities of each village here; we sowed seeds at the major tourist sites; and between each jaunt outside of Leh Town, we spent the days sauntering along the main strip where all of the tourists hang out. Leh District has a population of about 140,000, but in the summer months roughly 80,000 tourists flock to this area to enjoy the cooler climate, see the mountains, and blindly dabble in some Buddhism for good luck. It can become a monotonous struggle to refute all of the claims about Buddhism simply being a peaceful philosophy and the universalism that people are required to believe in to suppress their own guilty conscience. Surely, after a couple of months disputing with people of all backgrounds, each team member grew tremendously in their ability to contend for the faith. With the Israelis it was the same game, but since we are not Jewish, and because we are Gentiles so strongly persuaded by our love for the Jewish Messiah and the “People of the Book” (i.e. the Jewish people), we found more fertile ground in which to sow the Scriptures. One of the most common responses I heard this summer from the Israelis was, “Wow! So, Christians believe the Tanakh (i.e. the Old Testament) AND the New Testament are both God’s word? You use both?”

Ricky shares with two Israelis on the trail; these took at NT.

Many Israelis that we interacted with came to discover as we shared with them that Jesus was actually Jewish and from Israel. One of the points I like to make is that the Messiah HAD TO COME before the destruction of the Second Temple and before the Scepter departed from the line of Judah. I always get an interesting response when looking at the prophecies that verify this claim (cf. Genesis 49:10; Haggai 2:7-9). So, who could this Messiah have been? The evidence is undeniable! The only candidate that is even remotely possible is this Jesus of Nazareth. Now, the Jesus of the Christians becomes a very viable option for Messiah. The only way for a Jewish person, or anyone for that matter, to ignore this fact is by wretchedly molesting the holy, infallible, and immutable Word of God until their interpretation looks nothing like the teaching of Scripture. But, my friends, though this has been the strategy of the rabbis for nearly twenty centuries, Jewish people seem to be turning to Messiah these days at a rate unseen since the days of Jesus and the Apostles. Jewish people are starting to realize that Christ simply means Messiah and that if this Jew from two thousand years ago can give the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles then how much more to His own people? Without a doubt, the one group that was most open to the Gospel this summer was the Israeli backpacker. An innumerable amount of gospel tracts went out in many languages and at least 25 Hebrew New Testaments found a resting place in the hands of the lost sheep of Israel. Please pray for our work here, that it continue unhindered for the glory of God. Our theme verse for the summer was Acts 28:31 in which Paul had an open door to TEACH about things concerning Jesus and PREACH the kingdom of God. By God’s abundant grace that is precisely what we did. Keep these volunteers in your prayers and please pray that God would send more laborers to work with us here in the harvest. The work of putting together a team for next summer has already begun; and I will remain on this field until the end of September making preparations for this. Then, I go back to Nepal for a fresh Israeli tourist season there.

- Ricky Springer

My friends, don't underestimate the fruit of 25 Hebrew New Testaments gladly received by Jewish hands in one summer! A dear friend who oversees a similar ministry in South America, one who has taught both me and Ricky much about Jewish outreach, shared that it normally takes them an entire ministry season (i.e. 6-8 months) to go through that many Brit Chadashah's (i.e. Hebrew for New Testament). He told me to be encouraged, and we are.

As for the Gentiles, I calculate that people from at least THIRTY-SIX different nations were confronted with the Gospel and received some form of God's Word (tract, Bible, etc.). Of course, there were people from ISRAEL, INDIA, and NEPAL. Many Project Jagerna Gospels of John went out to Nepali laborers, most of which hale from the more unreached districts of Western Nepal. And, it was likewise a real joy for me to share Christ with at least two individuals from TIBET (a place dear to my heart where I pray the Lord one day opens a door for my family and I to live and labor) who could read and understand the Nepali language. Team Yeshua also encountered and shared with people from the USA, CANADA, MEXICO, ARGENTINA, COLUMBIA, GREAT BRITAIN, GERMANY, FRANCE, the UKRAINE, ITALY, the CZECH REPUBLIC, BELGIUM, DENMARK, ESTONIA, LATVIA, RUSSIA, AUSTRIA, IRELAND, the NETHERLANDS, SPAIN, SWITZERLAND, SWEDEN, CROATIA, NORWAY, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, SOUTH AFRICA, KOREA, JAPAN, TAIWAN, SRI LANKA, LEBANON, and one PALESTINIAN who was traveling with some Israelis (strange, but true). Praise God, for in at least half of the nations represented here, FPGM has also preached on the ground. Team Yeshua even had the privilege of going into a couple Tibetan and Ladakhi nomad camps high on the Changtang Plateau. Yes, there are still a few who subsist and roam as in the old days and by the old ways.

Praying with Children in a Tibetan Nomad Camp

With regard to the Nepalis, I recall one unique incident. There is a road worker's camp in the Zanskar River Canyon in Ladakh. The Indian government is undertaking a very difficult project to build a road through this narrow canyon from the Srinagar Highway down to Padum in the heart of Zanskar. This will allow Ladakhi Buddhists to be able to travel to Leh without having to travel through Muslim Kashmir and face the risks thereof. Anyway, most of the road workers are Nepalis, and a camp located near the trailhead for the Markha Valley trek has been dubbed "Little Kathmandu." As we hiked out of the wilderness back in July, seeking Israelis, I stumbled upon this group of Nepali laborers trying to hitch a ride out of Little Kathmandu. They heard the Word of God and received Project Jagerna Gospels of John and Gospel DVD's in their language.

Sharing the Gospel with Nepalis in Little Kathmandu on the Zanskar River

The Apostle Paul's testimony at the end of the Book of Acts was that he spent his time in Rome "preaching the kingdom of God." This was our specific prayer for Team Yeshua and Ladakh. The Lord heard; and tell them we have do so!

teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ

As Brother Ricky mentioned above, a good part of our time was also spent teaching and discipling the members of Team Yeshua in the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. When the six of them arrived in June, they were green in many ways. When they returned home on August 15th, these had been discipled and armed with much wisdom and knowledge in the Word of God. Ricky and I conducted intense trainings in personal evangelism and Jewish outreach. There were verse-by-verse exegetical studies of Hebrews, Romans, and the Book of Galatians. Other topics included biblical approaches to missions, the Rapture of the Church, Daniel's 70 Weeks Prophecy, the Jewish Feasts and Jesus' fulfillment thereof, Jewish history, and how to properly handle the Word of God. In a way, it was like seminary right there on the foreign field with plenty of accompanying field experience. To God be the glory.

After the summer, some of the team members wrote to me:

All the Bible studies we did were so good! They really gave me a lot more knowledge about the Jewish people and their history, deepened my understanding of the Scriptures, and increased my desire to study and know the Word of God (Mindy).

Before the trip to India, I had struggled in the area of evangelism. I would share my testimony with strangers if the opportunity arose, but I struggled with approaching a complete stranger and talking to them about the Gospel. I was concerned as to whether or not I would have what it takes to do the work of evangelism for the entire summer. However, I received the right training, and I quickly came to feel stronger and more confident. The teachings that the team received covered not only biblical evangelism and what that looked like and how to do it, but they also included teachings on the Rapture of the Church, Daniel’s 70 weeks Prophecy for Israel, different methods and principles of one-on-one evangelism, and also teachings on Jewish evangelism. These teachings not only helped me with my confidence in being a bold evangelist overseas, but also with being a bold evangelist here in the United States. It’s easy for a person to take these teachings at surface level and understand them with certain head knowledge. But the way to truly benefit from them is to put them into practice, and this is exactly what I was able to do this summer. These teachings have served as a foundation for my continued study and journey in evangelism because after this trip I am now fully convinced that every Christian in this world is called to the work of evangelism in some form or another. No Christian has the excuse to sit back and do nothing (Eric).

Crossing the 16,400ft. Kanda La on a 3-day Trek

They taught me so much about evangelism; and they gave me a desire to study the Scriptures on my own. Thank you FPGM for choosing me to share the Gospel with you and to work alongside your ministry (Annalise).

Plenty of Field Experience at the End of the Earth

Learning more about the Jews and how God has used them throughout history has been very eye-opening. I never realized how important they are in this world and how important the land of Israel is in terms of the world and the end times. I was reading Jeremiah 16:14-21 and was thinking that this was our group this summer--reaching out to the Jews in the “mountains and hills” (Jeremiah 16: 16) and telling them to repent from their idolatries (Jeremiah 16:18, 20) and come back again to know the living God through the forgiveness of the Messiah (Jeremiah 16:21). This passage is amazing as it is how God would use us Gentiles to reach His people. It’s great . . . Going through the Scriptures this summer, the Lord answered specific prayers. In Proverbs 2:3, it tells God's children to cry for knowledge and lift up their voice for understanding. When I am by myself, I actually do this. I have this deep yearning inside of me to know God and know deeper revelations of God's word. Going through Hebrews and learning about the Old Testament sacrifices compared to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ helped me to do this and gave me a greater appreciation for reliance on Jesus’ blood, our only hope for salvation. Another great teaching I heard from God’s Word concerned the Seven Spirits of God that John talks about in the Book of Revelation. Finding out that the Seven Spirits of God are mentioned in detail in Isaiah 11:2 was for me like a child getting a gift on Christmas day (Christian).

The Lord showed me so much this summer through teachings, witnessing encounters, and being with bold Christians. He showed me my weaknesses and where I fall short. I need Him every hour, and I had a greater realization on this trip about that. The teachings in and of themselves were so rich and I believe God used every one of them in my life. I have such a hunger to dig into God's Word even more so now (Alexis).

What can I say? We are honored; and God is good. The Apostle Paul's testimony at the end of the Book of Acts was that he spent his time in Rome "teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ." This was another specific prayer for Team Yeshua and Ladakh. The Lord heard; and these testimonies really are the fruit of your prayers and support. Ricky and I are just unprofitable servants who deserve no praise for simply striving to do our Lord's will.

with all confidence

Ladakh is a dark place, and spiritual warfare is real on such fronts. Depression, discouragement, and fear of getting in trouble with the government or getting kicked out are weapons of the Enemy that must be battled on a regular basis. We knew that confidence and boldness must come from the Lord, and we prayed for this. Many of you prayed for this. Did the Lord provide? Consider a few specific and special experiences described by some of the team members in their own words:

We were walking down the street in Leh, and I spotted an Israeli girl sitting alone at a cafe. I quickly decided to challenge myself and approach her by myself. So, I did. I ended up talking with her and sharing my faith. Shortly, her two other friends joined the table, and I was able to witness to all three of them. I would say that this particular experience was a pinnacle in my growth as a witness for Christ on this mission trip. I was all alone and all responsibility and integrity rested on me alone before God. I realized that in life, I will be faced with many situations wherein I will be the only Christian with a voice to speak among unbelievers. There will be no backup support to jump in when I get tongue tied, or someone there to say “praise God”, or “well done”. It’s just me, no other Christian around; and I will have to answer to God for what I do with that opportunity. All three Israelis listened, but none were interested in a New Testament. Although I was rejected in a sense, I took great comfort in the fact that I had been obedient and obeyed God. I had learned to function and keep going for the sake of obedience and not for results. In this incident and in others, I learned too well that I cannot save people with my words. Second of all, in every witnessing encounter, God is glorified because the name of Jesus has been proclaimed. I also learned a lot about the fear of the Lord this summer; and that made me less and less fearful of man and his opinion of me. The God of the Gospel is wholly worthy of honor and endless praise. It is too good to be kept inside my mouth and never flow out of my lips. The blood of the Lamb that was shed for sinners is far too precious to be concealed (Emile).

I was able to share the Gospel with a Buddhist gentleman. I was sitting and waiting for my turn to do some rock climbing at a good climbing spot outside of Leh in the Indus River Valley. This man was helping us with the climbing. I sat next to him and started the conversation about his life and what he enjoyed doing. After learning more of him, and as he seemed comfortable talking with me about his life, I decided to bluntly share the Gospel. I asked him some questions about eternity and where he thinks he will end up after death. He didn't know how to answer these things, so I exclaimed that works and being a good person does not earn heaven. I shared with him some Scriptures about Jesus Christ and His salvation. He then asked a lot of questions about God, and I answered him to the best of my knowledge. I plainly told him that if you decide to follow Christ, it's going to mean his life and that he cannot go back to his Buddhist idol worship; but following Christ is a joyous thing. Toward the end of rock climbing session, I asked him if he had a Bible and if he would read it to understand the Scriptures better. He said yes, so at the end of our summer, I was gave him my Bible (Annalise).

One witnessing encounter that I hope I will never forget was in Manali when I met a man named Tomaz. He had dreads that were very long, and his girlfriend was with him. He looked like a character indeed. Tomaz was very open, and as we talked about the Gospel and the Bible, I could tell that he was very hard-hearted, but that the Holy Ghost was convicting him. For some reason that God knows, I experience an overwhelming amount of compassion for Tomaz from the Lord, for he was a lost soul. I looked at in a way that Jesus came for sinners, for the lost--how could I not show compassion to this man? He heard the gospel. Pray for his soul (Christian).

One encounter that meant a lot to me involved a couple from Spain, who believed that there wasn't a God and that creation just all "happened." The conversation started with us just talking about the beauty around us, as we were looking out across dessert mountains. I said something about how amazing God's handiwork is, and then we got into a discussion about creation vs. evolution and whether or not there is a God. I talked about the human conscience and how we all have one, and then I pointed out how the animals don't have a conscience. If they don't have one and we do, then how did we evolve from them? I the discussed some particular animals and how their design shows clear evidence of a Creator. This seemed to really got them thinking. I then went into the Gospel and shared from Genesis about the Fall of Man, about sin, and concerning how all have sinned and deserve God's judgment. I talked about who God is, that He is so holy and just and sin cannot dwell in His presence. Therefore, our sin must be punished. One of them took great offense at that and said that God is only love, and of course I told him that yes, God is love, but He is also just; and that the only way you will ever come out from under His wrath and judgment is through His Son, Jesus Christ. I shared who Christ is and what He did and why He did it, and who He did it for. I talked about repentance, about faith, and about what it means to truly believe that the blood of Christ will save. We talked for probably close to an hour, and I knew that the man was convicted. The lady with him seemed very uninterested, but I know that she heard every word I spoke; and I trust God to work on her heart. The whole encounter stood out to me because I know, looking back, that it wasn't me. God was giving me things to say that I would have never thought about on my own. He gave me boldness that I know I could never have on my own, and I knew that He was working in the hearts of those that heard. It was those kind of encounters that really grew me this summer in boldness, in my confidence in sharing Christ, and in trusting that the results are in Gods hands. I just got so much experience that helps me to better know how to answer questions and speak to the lost with boldness and humility. God really increased my love for witnessing this summer, and He gave me a desire to spread His Word wherever I go. I will never forget this summer, and what God did; for truly any good thing that comes out of it is only of Him, and we can receive no glory. All glory to God, who doeth all things well (Mindy).

An Israeli woman participates in a Bible study following a Shabbat meal.

I’ve had so many witnessing encounters this past summer that it is hard to pinpoint just a few conversations. We met a Jewish couple whose names were Ziv and Segal a couple of weeks before we returned home. I and several other team members had met them outside on the busy streets of Leh. When we stopped and introduced ourselves, it wasn’t long into the conversation that we started talking about the Tanakh (i.e. Old Testament) and their religious background. We asked them about the Tanakh, and they seemed like they were open to hearing more about what we had to say. They suggested that we go to a nearby café and discuss it more thoroughly. When we arrived at the café, it turned out several of their friends were there, so it was difficult for us to talk to Ziv and Segal. We decided that it would be better if we just invited them to our house the next day for a Shabbat (i.e. Sabbath) meal. They gladly accepted the invitation, and they were there with us fellowshipping in our home the next evening. During this time, I opened up with a Bible study and talked about several verses in the Psalms that reveal how man is unholy in the sight of God and no matter how many good deeds he does, he can never be right with God through works. Ziv asked a question regarding these verses, and this opened a long discussion about the Bible and how it is the Holy Word of God. We also talked to them about the Jewish people and how God has used them throughout history to show His power and His sovereignty to the world. We also pointed them to several portions of Scripture that prophesy about Messiah and showed them how Yeshua (i.e. Jesus) fulfills these prophecies. They were very moved by the conversation and ended up taking a New Testament in Hebrew. When we walked them back to their guest house, we talked to them a little about what had happened, and Ziv had said to me several times that it was the most spiritual experience that he had ever had and how he would never forget about that night. I was truly encouraged by this because it gave me great hope and confidence that the Lord was truly working in their lives and that He had used us to speak to them in a powerful way (Eric).

I am so glad I got to be a part of a baptism for a family of new believers at a secret spot on the Indus River. God works in mighty ways! It was really special and one of the most beautiful things I've seen in my entire life (Alexis).

Truly, the work this summer TO THE JEW FIRST AND ALSO TO THE GENTILE was all confidence. And that confidence was and is of the Lord (Ephesians 3:12).

no man forbidding

The final element of Paul's ministry testimony during his two years of house arrest in Rome was "no man forbidding him" in what should have been a closed context with real security risks. These were nothing to God who removed them. At this moment, I am reminded of a time when my family and I crossed into Tibet from Nepal with bags containing Gospel materials in the Tibetan language. This is illegal to do, and many have been detained, deported, and refused entry for the same things. The Chinese security officer opened my bag, found a bag of Tibetan tracts, pulled them out, and thumbed through them. He then called for his superior who perused them himself. I knew I was done for and that I would not be able to enter Tibet. So, I paused to pray. Suddenly, the men stuffed the tracts back into my bag, zipped it up, handed it back to me, and instructed me to proceed through the border. I have heard countless stories about similar blindness on the borders of Romania and the Soviet Union back during the Cold War days. Security concerns should never be a reason to conceal the Gospel, and Christian missionaries are not CIA agents, though some I have known certainly think so. Anyway, we faced real security issues this summer, but like at the Tibetan border, the Lord intervened; and not once did any man or authority forbid the work. Once, word got back to us that a local agency was looking for a "team of missionaries" who had been putting local language tracts in the monasteries. We scaled back this work for a bit, laid low in Leh Town, and focused only on the Israelis. The threat never materialized; and many more of those cards went out in places where they were sure to be found. We had many adventures this summer for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ with no man forbidding. Here are a few snapshots:

Rafting Back to the Road after a 3-day Trek in the Zanskar Mountains

Tracting an Area that was Pakistan prior to 1971

Praying over Leh and for its People under a Mess of Wicked Buddhist Prayer Flags high above Town

This was the only option for crossing the raging Zanskar River.

Observing the Lord's Table with New Believers

Will I or Ricky be turned around and have our visas revoked the next time we try to visit India for reasons that won't be shared with us? We heard that this recently happened to two laborers. And, we know of those who have worked in Ladakh and have been kicked out of the country. Maybe the same will happen to us; God knoweth and His ways are higher than our ways. Notwithstanding, we are talking about this summer; and this summer, the testimony of Team Yeshua truly was "no man forbidding."

So, Acts 28:31 was our theme verse. We prayed the Lord would fulfill it; many of you prayed the same. He did so. This summer was a complete and total success. I greatly look forward to next year and to what individuals the Lord will bring together for that team. If you know any solid young believers, preferably between the ages of 18-25, who might be interested; please have them contact us as soon as possible. The term of service will be from June through August; and our goal is to have the team selected by the first of the year. Also, please pray for Ricky. He has remained behind in Ladakh alone and will be staying there until the end of September. He can only return to Nepal at a time when he will have enough days remaining on his tourist visa for 2015 that won't force him to leave the country again before the end of the year. In a couple of weeks, Lord willing, Brother Bishnu will come to Ladakh from Kathmandu to help Ricky with some trainings for a handful of Nepali believers and outreach to some of the Nepali laborers. In the meanwhile, Ricky is spending his time arranging housing for next summer's team as well as encouraging, discipling, and partnering with some local brethren. Please pray for God's provision and open doors of utterance in these things.

Praying over Team Yeshua before Sending Them Home

In a sense, the work with Team Yeshua is not finished. All have now gone back into their own spheres of influence--some immediately back to work and some to college classes--with new challenges and opportunities to share the Gospel here in America that perhaps they would not have discerned before. Reverse culture shock is real, especially after a summer like they have experienced. It will be depressing and difficult at times, and none of these has returned the same person that came back in June. So, your prayers are coveted and much appreciated. Back in June, we had a special sending-off service for the team at New Testament Christian Fellowship, one of FPGM's supporting churches. On August 16th, after their return, we had another special service, one of testimony and rehearsal of all that the Lord had done. In a sense, this too was a sending-off service. At the conclusion, the men of the church, as well as some of the FPGM Trustees that were in attendance, gathered around this team, laid hands upon them, and prayed with fervency over their heads as we sent them back out into the mission field, the mission field of their own communities, their own backyards. As the President of FPGM, I couldn't have asked for a better group of young believers to aid us in our work these past few months. And I couldn't have asked for a better and finer leader than Brother Ricky. Let us not cease to pray for these and other young Christians forced to grow up and serve in what this nation and this world has become. Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus, come!

Christian is heading back to South Asia.

Oh, I almost forgot. There is yet another piece of Team Yeshua fruit that I must share. Christian Parks, one of the team members, will be flying to Kathmandu on September 30th for an unspecified amount of time to work with Brother Ricky and to come alongside FPGM's outreach to Israeli tourists and our Nepal Earthquake Relief efforts. This will be a real blessing for Ricky and a service to the Lord. Please pray for him over the next month as he makes preparations and ties up loose ends here in the United States. FPGM purchased his one-way airline ticket and will be providing him with a place to stay. And, he can stay as long as he wants. Oh, it's such a joy to help give opportunities like this to young people bent on serving Christ!

Please continue to pray for Full Proof Gospel Ministries, that we will remain faithful with the Gospel and the Holy Bible in these dark and troublesome times TO THE JEW FIRST AND ALSO TO THE GENTILE. Pray for the Lord’s continued provision as the work continues in South Asia as well as here on the streets in America, one of the world’s largest mission fields. Praise God, Pastor James from Bangladesh will be with us again here in North Carolina in October. And once again, Lord willing, we will be hitting the road to preach the Gospel a bit in cities, towns, and on college campuses. Pray for Brother Bishnu and his family in Nepal. Our goal is to completely exhaust our Earthquake Relief Fund by the end of the year, and once the monsoon rains end, needs will arise and real rebuilding will begin. Ricky will be there to help oversee this come the end of September as he is also busy with Jewish outreach during the Israeli tourist season there. Also, we are praying about taking a team to Israel in February. It’s all in the Lord’s hands. And, I am so thankful for those of you who hold the ropes in prayer and support. All of this is your fruit. We are one body in the Lord Jesus Christ. I'll conclude with a final testimony from one of the members of Team Yeshua:

Overall, we can just be glad because His word went forth into the dark places of the world and will not return to Him fruitless. I give Him all the praise for how He used us the team this summer as utensils for His glory. And may it always be so: to God be the glory, great things He has done and marvelous He is (Emile).

Stay tuned for testimonies from Alaska, Nepal, and other ends of the earth. Until then, all praise to the MAKER of the mountains!

Jesse Boyd, President
Full Proof Gospel Ministries

to the jew first & also to the gentile

preaching the kingdom of God

teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ

with all confidence

no man forbidding