Wonderful Details from Naomi on the Work in Maine

I had it on my mind this afternoon to write a report to send out to
different people who would be interested in what the Lord is doing in
our little fellowship. My heart is full! The Lord’s work is AMAZING!!

As all of you are probably aware of, we have been fellowshipping with
my mother and another single older lady since we’ve moved to Maine.
The Lord has definitely been blessing us and growing us in Him and has
given us sweet fellowship even in our tiny group.  God has been so
faithful to us! Of course we wished for more believers to join us and
our desire and hope and prayer would be that revival would take place
in this area and a holy, Spirit filled church would be established.
How this area desperately needs such a church – to be a light and also
to be a harbor that believers around us, who are in the clutches of
dead religion, can turn too. With that said, let me share how the Lord
brought two more families into our fellowship! 

Let me give some background…There is a Holdeman Mennonite church here
in our town and also one not too far across the Canadian border from
us. Most people would  see them as just another Mennonite church, but
once you start to dig you find out about the heretical doctrine that
validates them as a cult. They believe they are the one true church
and have a fishy view on the humanity of Jesus. The members are in a
lot of bondage to the fear of man: fitting in with each other and not
offending the church lest they be excommunicated. Over all
spirituality is suppressed, along with originality, individuality, and
thinking and questioning.  My parents had visited this church before I
was in my teens and seeing the dangers they left without joining. PTL!
But two of my brothers joined and have been members for fifteen years
now. Needless to say, many have been the prayers for their
deliverance. Lest I paint too negative a picture of these Holdemans,
let me say that they are a gracious, kind people with definite
positive values which I’m sure draws people in who are looking for
something different than main stream “Christianity”. We have been
praying for a work of God among the Holdemans along with praying for
my brothers. Well, just two weeks ago yesterday we found out that two
families from the Canadian Holdeman church left because they no longer
believe in the one true church doctrine! Glory to God! The Lord has
done an amazing work in their hearts – their testimonies are
tremendous! Their names are Tim and Sara Friesen and Isaac and
Stephanie Villeneuve – Sara and Isaac are brother and sister and they
and their parents and siblings used to home church  with us when I was
about  11 and 12. Unfortunately,  we separated and a host of things
have happened in between, including the Lord working in all of our
lives and also Sara and Isaac joining the Holdeman church and marrying
in there.  Three Saturdays ago Sara and Isaac’s parents , who were
visiting from Ontario, stopped by our house and told us the wonderful
news that their children and their spouses were leaving the Holdeman
church. What an exciting, rejoicing time we had! And we were so
surprised! We had no idea what was going on! Needless to say, we got
in contact with the two families inviting them to fellowship with us
which they were so willing to do. Last Sunday we were not able to get
together because of so much sickness in both families, but PTL this
Sunday worked out and we had a wonderful time of fellowship! I wish I
could somehow convey all the ramifications of this situation to give a
clearer picture of the work of God.  My mother isn’t exactly on the
good list with the Holdemans having come in contact with the “one true
church” and having rejected it all these years.  Jake and I aren’t
much better with our apparent  verbal and non -verbal communication
that we have no desire to be a part of them.  In many ways we would be
a threat. So to see Tim Friesen, who was a “Holdeman of the Holdemans”
(comparable to Paul being a Pharisee of the Pharisees ) sitting in my
mother’s living room testifying of how the Lord has been working in
his heart is just about jaw dropping! Never underestimate the power of
GOD! And what boldness and truth the Lord has already given to this
man. His wife sat by and testified that he was a new man and I believe
it! The change is very obvious!  Isaac and Stephanie’s testimonies
have likewise been so encouraging.  We had visited with them at an
earlier date and had heard their hearts and to see the change in
Stephanie was amazing - a multi-generational Holdeman freely talking
about the Lord and the truth He has imparted to her. Jesus can make
people so beautiful! And that’s what we are seeing! And to be able to
home fellowship with Isaac and Sara again is a blessing dropped from
heaven. How wonderful it is to be reunited with these dear friends.

There is a dark spirit that pervades this Holdeman church and keeps
the people in bondage. It’s very hard to talk to them about spiritual
matters and this one true church doctrine pretty much over shadows
everything.  So to see these two families freely talking about the
Lord was so beautiful. May their stand for the truth shake these two
churches to the core and may many others be delivered including my
brothers. Please keep these two couples in your prayers and us too.
The devil has been dealt a blow and he most certainly will retaliate.
These couples need our prayers that they will keep their hearts and
minds staid on Jesus.  The fears and doubts will come. The spirit of
fear is a trade mark of the Holdemans. After all, if you leave their
church, you’re most likely on your way to hell. Excommunication is
most definitely coming and can be very painful. And for Tim and
Stephanie they are leaving behind everything they are familiar with,
and most likely inviting estranged relationships with family. We need
to hold them up! I already love these brothers and sisters  - how the
Holy Spirit knits the hearts of God’s people together! Please pray for
us too. We have already experienced the attacks of the evil one since
we’ve been living here and it can be intense. We need the Lord’s help
– we are no match for the adversary.  The battle is raging in unseen
places and,  glory to Jesus, HE is the victor already and our Captain!
 The Lord has been teaching Jake and I more about the battle between
light and darkness and how our prayers should be directed. Satan has
people bound by his lies and deception, but Jesus can break those
bonds and turn their hearts from darkness to light. Please pray that
all those in our fellowship will remain blameless before God and man.
The gossip may fly, but may there be no sin accounted to anyone. Also
another prayer matter: there is another family in the Holdeman church
right here in our town that is on the verge of leaving too. They
visited us last Sunday for lunch and shared their hearts…so our
fellowship may be expanding yet some more in hopefully the near
future! Glory to Jesus!

This ALL has been a work of God and a tremendous blessing from His
hand! How blessed we are to have more believers to fellowship with.
May we never forget what He has done, but look back on it to bolster
our faith for mountains in the future. God CAN change he