The elderly couple had put many miles on their old car. Yet, they didn’t hesitate to drive it on long trips around the country. They had discovered a secret that had made it the most reliable car they had ever owned: they had dedicated it to God. They pledged to put aside a small amount of money for God’s work for every mile they put on that car, and it was still going strong long after it should have been finished.

Another family pledged half the profits from a section of fruit trees in their orchard to the Lord’s work. Can you guess what happened? That section produced a record harvest, and after setting aside the pledged half of the profits, more was left over than the section had yielded the previous year.

Whether we give of our time, talents or funds, God multiplies what we contribute to His cause in marvelous ways. He continues to prove we can’t outgive Him.

As we pause to reflect on God’s blessings last year, we are in awe. The more trials we have encountered, the more abundant His blessings. It’s not what we have done; only what He has done. In our weakness, He is strong. We don’t wish to dwell on the trials, so we will share some of the blessings He has showered upon us.

God has given us a growing group of people wanting to know Him. We officially entered the evangelism stage last year, and the preparation time of previous years has begun to pay off. Our group has tripled in size this year, and more have been asking if they can join us. Our home is often filled to capacity on Sabbath.

Four precious souls were baptized last year, and four more are preparing for baptism. That might not seem like a lot, but in this part of the world it takes a lot of time to build trust, so we are thrilled with this good start. We have asked God to help us reach families, and that is what He is doing. It is best when entire families come to faith together so the members can support each other as their new faith draws them closer together and strengthens them. Just a few families can become a community of believers.

The Bible lessons you have made possible with your donations continue to be tested with our group. We have been encouraged with the positive results. We have broken the lessons down into daily readings so our group members can develop the habit of daily devotions. Our baptized members have decided to read them as a family and have established family worship in their home. God is blessing tremendously through these lessons.

Our DVD project has been blessing our group, and the members are beginning to show them to extended family. These documentary-style DVDs have been well received by all who have viewed them. We continue to add more DVDs and expect them to enhance the outreach potential of our group this year.

We have begun developing outreach materials targeting the atheist and agnostic Albanian population. After centuries of Ottoman rule followed by a brutal atheistic communist dictator, many Albanians are left with a Muslim cultural heritage, but their beliefs are atheist or agnostic. While not easy to reach, they are a significant part of the population and should not be ignored. AFM specializes in difficult-to-reach people groups, so this will be an area of focus for us this year. Will you pledge to pray for this group this year?

We are working to make sure our new believers are grounded and prepared for our absence during our upcoming furlough. We feel like parents preparing to leave little children on their own for an extended amount of time. There will be no human guide to nurture them in our absence. We hope to keep our furlough short, but we need to raise $1,100 in new monthly pledges before we can return to Albania.

Some people resist making pledges out of fear of failing to come through. They know they have failed before and they don’t trust themselves. This time of year, many are thinking about resolutions and pledges. But instead of making it a test of your willpower this year, why not let God show you His power in the details of your life? After all, our promises are like ropes of sand, but His are sure.

Ask God to inspire you with a plan to give to His work in Albania or elsewhere. The pledge need not be for life, but for as long as you have your health and your job. Some give fairly regularly but have not made a pledge. Others give every other month or once a year. Whatever your pattern of giving, just estimate how much the monthly amount would be if divided into 12 months.

Take a moment to pause and remember your blessings from last year. Then think forward to how you can bring blessings to others this year. You won’t be able to out-give God.

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