Missionary Pat Horner Update

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings in the worthy name of our blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He alone is worthy of preeminence in His churches! (Colossians 1: 18)
It has been seven weeks since I last wrote so this letter is very much overdue. Part of the reason for the delay had to do with the holidays and part with my being sick for the last two weeks. I am better now though I am still nursing a cough. As many of you know, this time of year is always a time of sickness for me. I have struggled with pneumonia and bronchial infections since the early 90’s so any time I get a cold or flu it seems to always linger in my chest. But, I am thankful for the Lord’s continued help in strengthening me day by day.

Even though much has happened in the last several weeks, this letter will be brief. I hope to write more frequently in the near future with further details.
Manipur: We have held four different conferences in the state of Manipur in the last three months. From these we have made contact with two men who we had not previously known. Though we continue to see no real or lasting fruit from our efforts in preaching and teaching the truth of the gospel of the grace of God and the doctrine of the local church in Manipur, yet we are encouraged that we now have contacts with men who seem to be truly interested in knowing truth. Let us continue to pray for the state of Manipur that we might see true inroads of truth in the near future.
I hope to write in some details of the doctrinal errors which prevail among the “Baptists” in Manipur and the need to see the hand of our God to open doors for the truth to prevail there.
Tripura: The churches in Tripura continue to prosper in the midst of continued persecution. It is our plan to hold a weeklong conference there starting in mid February. They have requested a conference on the topic of the Ten Commandments. Bir will be the principle teacher.
I am waiting to hear as to when the men from Tripura might be able to come to Meghalaya before I make final decisions concerning when I will return to India. As soon as I know something definite, I will let you know.
Please pray for Manindra as he is working to organize a church in an area called Kumulung.
Meghalaya: Bir continues to work with Danny in Shilong and we are hoping to see a church organized there before the end of this year. Persecution has arisen and a number of lies have been circulated about us and our doctrine. The professing Christians in Shilong are now shunning us and our meetings. This is a blessing since I have been preaching for many years that our objective should be to preach the gospel to sinners and not seek to reform the already established religions of India.
Bir also continues the work of organizing a church on the Meghalaya/Assam border where our ministry is located.
We are also working to establish a monthly medical camp. Our last camp was in December. The next one is planned for February. I will keep you informed as to how things progress in this area.
Over the last several months, we have had a number of contacts regarding further training of men for the gospel ministry. There is some interest in our starting a bible school. However, at this time we plan to hold monthly meetings lasting two weeks each and centered upon specific subjects and starting with the truths relating to the gospel. Once we have finished with certain modules, we will expand into further areas. Pray with us as we may start as early as March.
Assam: We continue to slowly make new contacts in Assam and recently have met several who we hope will prove to be true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our present plan is to bring a few men to Meghalaya for training. After that we will see what, if anything, our God might do.
Texas: We continue to meet each Lord’s Day with those who are presently interested in forming a church in this area. It is my hope that we will constitute soon. We also continue to have visitors. It is difficult for some to attend since we are meeting in our home and have no prospects of any other meeting place. Please join us as we pray for a more permanent meeting place.
Churches: There are presently four areas where we have hopes of a church being organized this year: (1) Santa Anna, Texas, (2) Shilong, Meghalaya, (3) the Meghalaya/Assam border area where our ministry is located, and (4) Kumulung, Tripura. Please pray with us that we might see properly and biblically organized churches in these areas.
Finally, Dianne and I want to thank you for your continued prayers and financial support for the ministry in which our God has graciously allowed me to be involved. It is a great privilege to serve the Lord in this generation. Though there are many obstacles to overcome, yet we have the promise of our God that He will never leave us nor forsake us.
The Lord bless you all!
Pat Horn.