“At this rate, I’ll be done with deputation by bedtime!”
That was my comment to a pastor this month during a memorable hour. When I returned home after a missions conference in Maine, I checked my email and whooped for joy. A church in Kansas and some friends had written with the news that they had taken me on for support. While I was reading and whooping, the phone rang. The pastor of another church in Kansas was calling with the same news. In just a few minutes I saw my support level go up several percent! Now I am close to the 70% mark. Hallelujah!

“I had no idea that women could serve the Lord like this.”
She sat across the table from me during a church potluck in Northfield, Massachusetts, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. Laura and her identical twin sister Catherine are students at the University of Massachusetts, and they came to know Christ a few years ago. One of them told me how she had read the Gospels and had been amazed at who Jesus was. As she read and understood, she believed. It was not until she later heard someone else sharing how he had been “saved” that she understood what had taken place in her heart. During our conversation that Sunday I could tell that both of the twins were keenly interested in learning more about opportunities for women in missions. God’s providence was evident that evening as I shared my presentation in a different church in Salem, NH. After the service, several people said, “How I wish two of our college students could have heard your testimony. They are twin sisters at UMass.” You can imagine their amazement when I replied that I had eaten lunch with them that very afternoon!

“Keep your heart where your body is.”
My friend Sarah recently exhorted me with that favorite quote of hers. One of the unique challenges of deputation is keeping a balance between sharing one’s vision for future ministry and serving faithfully in the present. God recently gave me a golden opportunity to obey the Great Commission right here in Keene, NH when I was invited to teach a bi-monthly Bible study at a local assisted living home. Eight of the thirteen residents attended the first study, and attendance for the second one today increased to ten! One of them was my friend Hazel, who used to live at the home but now lives with her niece. I was thrilled to see her attend and follow along in her Bible. We are studying the seven “I am” statements of Jesus in the book of John. Most of the residents seem to think everything I am saying is wonderful, but I could tell that two of them today were shocked at the outrageous doctrine I was teaching (for example, “those who do not believe in Jesus are walking in darkness.”).

“No puppet! No puppet!”
Chef Soufflé normally captures the hearts of children wherever he goes, but he failed me for the first time this month. A little boy had to be returned to his mother after his first encounter with the Chef. The next evening, when it was time for the children to be dismissed again for junior church, his protests echoed throughout the sanctuary. I devised an alternate plan. When it was time for the Chef’s skit, my helper escorted the young lad out for a visit to the drinking fountain.

 Various and sundry blessings / prayer requests
• From time to time friends have accompanied me for deputation meetings, and I always appreciate their help and fellowship. Last weekend my friend Kelley came all the way from South Carolina! The Lord gave us a marvelous time together.
• The Lord has provided two excellent contacts in Quebec to aid me in my quest to develop French sacred music resources.
• My October schedule is full to overflowing with meetings of all sorts. Please pray for the Lord to use me for His glory.
• Pray for the hearts of the residents at the assisted living home to be open to the Gospel.
• Pray for the Lord’s will to be done regarding my desire to be fully supported by Thanksgiving 2007 and in France by January 2008.

God bless you for your faithful intercession!
For His glory,

Kristi Colas