Operation Serve International : Fall Update 2002 : page 3

This past summer OSI trained eight interns with a calling for the ministry. Each one of the interns was a great blessing to us and to the team members. One intern insightfully said, “I cherished so much watching the transformation in the team members between their arrival and departure.” This year we have seen a great harvest and growth in the ministry of Operation Serve. This great harvest has been the direct result of the obedience to His call and the servanthood demonstrated by each of the interns. Thanks to all of the interns for a job — WELL DONE

Heather Elliott, one of the young interns, received a calling from the Lord to serve with OSI for one year from October 2002 to September 2003. She will be serving at the International office in Ohio as well as in Mexico. Please pray with us for God’s provision for Heather! We are now accepting applications for the 2003 Internship, contact our office if you wish to apply.

For the past seven years OSI has been training over 1000 Egyptian/Arab pastors and leaders a year. We believe that impacting Egypt and the Arab world for Christ will come only through equipping and impacting the national leaders. Therefore, we at OSI have committed with other partners to provide ongoing training and spiritual refreshments for the national leaders and pastors.

The Lord has provided us with a unique opportunity to purchase five acres in Egypt, just three miles outside of Alexandria International Airport. Dr. Sameh and a few pastors from the U.S. inspected the land one afternoon this last April. All of us felt that the Lord had saved this virgin land for His glory and had assurance of His will to possess the land. This property was estimated to cost $75,000 ($15,000 per Acre) from which we had only $10,000.

Months later after returning to the U.S., Sameh received a telephone call from the seller asking for a decision and the money. The overall size of the project overwhelmed us, we were assured that if this was going to happen, God had to do it. We questioned ourselves, “Is it is beyond us?” We didn’t want to lose the opportunity to obtain this land. After much prayer, seeking counsel, we felt that we should wait upon the Lord.

Toward the middle of August, our office in Egypt received a phone call from a wealthy Egyptian businessman. The wife of this man is a leader in one of the churches in Alexandria. The man asked, “I understand from my wife that you were looking at a piece of property in Alexandria for a training center… Did you purchase it yet?” Pastor Samir answered, “We made an offer, but did not buy it. We do not have the money and can’t afford it at this time.” The man then said, “If we donate L. E. 100,000 (Approximately. $26,000 USD) would that help Dr. Sameh purchase it?”

Pastor Samir, immediately called his son, Dr. Sameh. He was extremely excited that God was sending supernatural provision. In fact if a national can catch the vision, the work will never die. A vision cannot be imposed, and ownership can’t be given. Vision has to be captured and ownership has to be bought. The fact that nationals captured the vision and have ownership of it blesses our hearts to the core.

A few days after hearing this good news, Dr. Sameh and Connie traveled to New Orleans to speak at Believer’s Life Assembly. Pastor Randy Cilluffo saw the land in Alexandria firsthand in April 2002. He asked his people for a seed offering for that land. The offering that Wednesday night was $10,000. What a blessing, from the $75,000 needed for the land, the Lord had provided a total of $40,000 in matter of days. God is so faithful. Please pray for us as we trust the Lord for the $35,000 balance to pay off the land. By God’s grace, in four years this center will be built and will literally be a true oasis in the desert!!