September 1987

Dear Brethren;

Greetings in the name of the Lord!

ANOTHER YEAR ANOTHER BIRTHDAY
I would have sent this letter sooner this month but wanted to make sure I would make it past my 39th birthday. I figure if Jerry C. in KC could I could. It is hard to believe that I have made it. Kathy and I turned over another year. She made 38. We are both wearing real well. We had a combined birthday party at McDonalds and invited the students and faculty of the Bible College. We had a blast. The Kiwis couldn't believe the party was for adults (they don't know me very well do they!). The students gave me a bottle of hair cream and a box of laxative powder. Some friends!

PRINTING WORK FULL STEAM AHEAD
It is hard to believe that I have been back from the Cook Islands over six weeks. From the time I got back it has been full steam ahead. I was invited by a local printer to move into the back of his shop. So I shifted all the equipment and supplies downtown. This has given me the room I have needed to setup properly. I have three of the 1250 Multilith machines operating at present. We began printing the World Bible School booklets in August. I have already printed 1,000 copies of the 44 page Correspondence Course and 1,000 copies of the 44 page "The Christian Life" course. I am in the middle of printing the second color for the 44 page "The Church" course. I have done the artwork and cut the plates for another correspondence course called "For God So Loved" by Loyd Bixler. We are running 2,500 copies of this 64 page course. In between and amixt all this I have been printing cards to be used in letterboxing in several campaigns throughout New Zealand. These cards are to sign up for Bible Correspondence courses.

The biggest handicap (besides myself) is the financial support to be able to stock the courses. It is very expensive to purchase the courses from the States and then have them shipped here. It was with the encouragement of Bro. Reuel Lemmons that we began to print the booklets here. We can produce them for less then cost + shipment from the States. We also have eliminated the long wait that is associated with surface mail shipment. Economically it would be silly to print less then 1,000 of any of the booklets. So we have printed 1,000 of each and that just means that the cost is from my pocket until the courses are ordered and paid for. In the past several months we have been advertising that our support base has been dwindling due to supporters not supporting our work any longer. On top of this the house we are buying in the States was vacrecked (vacated and wrecked) by our renters and they left owing a month's rent and in atrocious condition. (it took two months to repair.) The rent which had been going against the mortgage ceased. Thus we have had to put more of our salary into the house until we could secure new renters. My mother-in-law has been a jewel to handle all this for us. Usually we sock a large part of our salary into the print work because of insufficient work fund support to meet the needs of the print work. What we really need is a congregation or individuals who will help us with support sufficient to stock the various Bible Correspondence courses we are using over here. As churches order the supplies then the fund will be reimbursed so new stocks can be printed. ($1500 is needed Up to the present we have tried to make materials available at cost and if we have sufficient work fund support we can continue to provide this very needed ministry. The price supplies (plates, chemicals, ink etc) has skyrocketed over the past several months.

NEW ZEALAND DOLLARS GAINS TO OUR LOSS
Again this month the New Zealand dollar rose to new highs against the American dollar. This has meant that we have lost an addition 12% when we exchange our money. The bankers keep saying it will get better for us but they don't say when.
If you would like to help with the printing work please let us know. If you can provide a monthly work fund or a one time "stock" fund they are both urgently needed.

PRINTING UPDATE: July 58,247 pieces. August 212,163 pieces.
Since January 631,592 pieces.

MESA'S NEEDS FOR THE COOK ISLANDS
To bring you up to date on the thoughts I expressed in my last newsletter. The Mesas are prepared to go to the Cook Islands to help the church become established and grounded. They are prepared to go if sufficient support can be secured. We are asking for your help and consideration to support them for at least one year at present. It is estimated that the following costs would be incurred:
Salary per month US $600 x 12 = $7200
Work fund per month US $300 x 12 = $3600
Relocation Fund $3000 (Tickets to Papua New Guinea and back thru NZ and on to Cook Islands. Motorbike and setup expenses in C I.)
TOTAL $13,800

This is a cost figure for one year. If we could raise the total with special contributions then we could allot the monthly support from an account. If we could get a commitment from just 7 congregations of $2000 each the figure would be achieved.

BRETHREN WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS AND YOUR HELP TOWARD THIS VERY SPECIAL NEED! PLEASE DON'T LET THIS DAY GO BY WITHOUT PURPOSING THAT YOU WILL DO SOMETHING TOWARD THIS NEED.

Whether it be contributing yourself, praying especially for this need or bringing it to the attention of the brethren where you worship of this very special need. These funds need to be raised or committed by December 1st when the Mesas graduate from Bible College.

YOUR CONTINUED PRAYERS ARE NEEDED
Not only do we request your prayers for the Mesa's support but also for our support and the funds that are needed to enable us to get out into the islands with the beautiful message of Jesus Christ. As stated in previous letters we have lost over $800 per month support since we arrived here. We believe that the funds are there and WE are praying about it. Things can't be too bad for us we still eat at least twice a day. As long as I can hear the birds singing in the trees I know the Lord will continue to take care of me. Its when I start seeing the birds all dying from malnutrition that I will become concerned. (Honey what is that failing out of the trees? Whew, only grapefruit!)

Thank you for your prayers and support that make this ministry possible.

the Huffs