What Happened?
What Happened in 2019!!
Remembering God’s Blessings
And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee… Deut 8:2 What an amazing year we had in 2019! Our heavenly Father still reigns and we thank Him for clearly guiding us along the way. We may not ever fully grasp or understand the reasons behind the circumstances, but we trust His hand.
At the beginning of the year, we were still missionaries headed to Egypt! In February, I tried to get into Egypt to ordain Gergis into the gospel ministry with the, then Associate Pastor of our sending church, Bob Monteith, Pastor Charles Blackstock and Sister Debbie Blackstock. I was abruptly stopped in the airport and taken to a holding area where I was questioned and forced to fly back to the States. I was able to witness and also give a New Testament to one of the security guards. On another note, it was a blessing to see Pastor Gergis ordained and that the work moved forward as the believers grew in the faith.
After getting new passports, I flew back to Egypt by myself in May with assurance that I would enter in to encourage the believers and to test the waters. By this, I mean, that I was seeing if I could get back into Egypt. I was shocked to see that I could not enter into Egypt. I was then taken for questioning and then stripped of my cell phone and then locked up along with Muslims that were also barred from entering into the country. I was able to openly preach before all of those locked up and gave clear presentations of the gospel. I was also able to witness one on one with many while in there. I was excited for this, but saddened as it was confirmed that I could not get into Egypt.
After visiting New York, Anaheim Ca, and Dearborn, MI, God gave clear direction for us to go to Dearborn MI, the Islamic capital of North America. God let me build relationships with Pastor Chris Staub and other pastors in this area. What an amazing need and an exciting time as the Lord confirmed His call on our lives!
Another change seen in 2019 was seeing Pastor Dale Coffey retire from Maranatha Baptist Church in Yorktown VA after 41 years of faithful service. He had been my pastor since I was a child. This saddened me but also inspired me to be faithful! It was also great to see Pastor Bob Monteith became lead pastor. He served in Japan with the military churches there. God already uses Pastor Monteith’s wisdom to help us along the way as he now leads our church.
Along the way, I was able to lead some to the Lord and see others surrender to ministry. I also participated in Hell’s Gates at Lighthouse Baptist in Dawsonville GA, where thousands came through while I was able to proclaim the gospel. Many participated and over 1000 made professions of faith! What an amazing experience to take part in! I was also part of many conferences where some took us on for support. We saw thousands of dollars given to the Building Egypt fund and we still raise more for this need!
After driving all over the States and preaching the word of God all over, in the end we had an amazing 2019. We ended the year with finishing up a book with other missionaries to Muslims. “Overcoming the Impossible!” focuses on Muslim Missions by sharing real life experience and encouraging testimonies about the need amongst the Muslim people. You can download a copy from amazon.
I thank God for what He’s done in 2019, yet anticipate more to be done for His name. Be on the lookout for our upcoming prayer letter that recalls what God has done this past month while anticipating what will be done in the future.
For the Christ
David Gates
Deut 31:6-8