Below is the first part of the enews from Christian Holyland Foundation. If you would like to get the full report to your inbox monthly, you can sign up at the link below. John Samples wrote the note below and will be speaking this Sunday, April 26th at Cornerstone.



http://www.chlf.org/CHLF%20Mailing%20List%20Sign-Up.htm



It is one of my privileges and challenges to edit these reports to you each month. On one hand I feel like I have a front row seat for some of the most interesting and exciting stories coming out of Israel, and on the other hand I need to protect the privacy of young Believers in the Holy Land that are in danger of persecution for their Kingdom work and their relationship with the Christ (while also trying to keep these reports short enough that people will actually read them;-).


Since the last eReport, it was also my privilege to be with the Team in Galilee, and to share the ministry and some of the historical sites of Israel with a couple from Indianapolis. I will be back in May and June to meet with supporters and pilgrims from Phoenix, AZ and Northampton, VA. I try to avoid being a tour guide (just because there are so many other things I need to be doing) but I must admit that I get a great deal of pleasure from introducing people to the work and the country. I think it is probably good for me as well to continue to see the ministry through the fresh eyes of companions who are seeing it all up close for the first time.


We had the honor of delivering a few special gifts on this trip: · Stadia generously donated two video projectors that are being used in the churches to help teach and disciple. · New Life Christian Church in northern Virginia provided several boxes of clothes for the Team and their children, and probably enough to also be used in mercy ministries. · Fort Des Moines Church of Christ in Iowa gave a special gift of more than $2,000 to help the Team with their significant fuel bills (if you think prices are high where you live, they are way less than half the price of petro in Israel). In the photo [right] Saleem shows he knows what to do with a $100 bill. · And the couple who made a significant gift to help cover the expenses of the Mother's Day event also played a big role in the little ripples that are changing lives in Israel. All of these generosities are greatly appreciated!


And in case anyone is looking for a project... we're still hoping to be blessed with a translation system that would help with training and worship. Prices for a mid-grade system have recently fallen to about $3,000.


I don't want to spend a lot of time talking about finances because I know a lot of other ministries are also struggling right now, but neither do I want to give the impression that money is not a need for the Christian HolyLand Foundation. God continues to provide for the work, and the gap between our spending committments and our income from donations continues to shrink, but we are still in the red and need your help to meet our goal of balancing the budget by the end of this year when we expect our start-up funds to be exhausted.


The book of James suggests that we do not have, because we do not ask, or because we ask with wrong motives. I am completely clear of conscience in my motives for asking for your financial support, because the work in Israel that your dollars make possible needs to be done for so many reasons, the greatest of which is that these people need the Gospel of the Christ.

So I am asking for your support, financially and prayerfully. And if you can help us spread the word by forwarding this eReport to others you think might be interested in the work, or by helping arrange an opportunity for us to present the ministry to your church, that would be very helpful.


Please take a few minutes and read the stories below from your Team in Israel. And thank you for your continuing support of CHLF, and for allowing me to be your linkage to this amazing ministry.


In Him, for Them,

John W Samples

American Team Leader