PRECIOUS TESTIMONIES MINISTRY UPDATE -
3RD QUARTER 1999 (JULY-SEPT)

Greetings to you in the name of our precious Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ! We hope all is well with you and yours since our last newsletter, which was back in April 1999. We really appreciate and continue to covet your prayers for this ministry outreach and us. There have been several blessings from God for Precious Testimonies since we last talked. We know many of these blessings have only come through the faithful support we have received from you most importantly through your many prayers offered up to God on our behalf and your financial gifts. We want to say a great big thank you and God bless you! We would like now to update you on what has been happening with this ministry outreach.

Let us begin to share with you for those of you, who don't know just what this ministry is all about, in the TV public access video area. Most of you know about our video ministry, but for those of you who do not know, please allow us to talk a bit on that. Besides having our web site for Precious Testimonies, we also are blessed to be able to come into the homes of thousands if not millions of people now through this video ministry. We are currently broadcasting in a total of 22 TV public access stations in a total of ten states: Michigan, Washington, Virginia, California, Hawaii, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Ohio.

There have been a few cancellations of stations since we began the PRECIOUS TESTIMONIES video broadcast, and we would like to explain the various reasons why these cancellations came about. As we name those stations, we ask that you would please remember them and their viewing areas in your prayers - that God would again in the near future open those doors back up in those communities to hear the good news of the Gospel through our broadcast, and many other Christian broadcasts, that have been affected as well by some of their changes.

Those stations are HCTV in Holland, MI - They have had no choice but to close down and the reason being is the lack of necessary funding to continue to operate. They are hoping there may be another time to reopen, which could be as early as the first of next year, if they receive the necessary funding needed.

DVTV in Davis, CA has discontinued our broadcast, which is because our sponsor moved out of that viewing area and we have not been able to replace him yet. We believe there is still an open door there but a new sponsor is needed.

King11 in Spring Valley, MN - Their reason for discontinuing our broadcast was an increase in their local programming, which takes greater priority over outside programming such as ours.

There are always changes and not always ones that we want to see, but the blessings we receive in this ministry far outweigh the negative happenings. Now we will share with you some of the latest blessings that we have received most recently. One of those blessings are that we have been given one more public access station to add to our list for our TV viewing audience for this ministry, and two more which are still in their final stages of being definitely confirmed for us.

Tucson, AZ has opened up for us with a one-hour time slot which began airing on July 9th, praise God! The other two are in LaPorte, IN and one more in Arizona, which is in Phoenix. With these two stations we have secured a local sponsor in their viewing areas but they still need to be cinched down so to speak between the sponsor and the station.

We would appreciate it if you would lift these two stations/sponsors up in prayer as the Holy Spirit leads you in your prayer time. We give God all the glory for these doors opening for us because it is only because of Him that we are even able to do what we are called to do, which is to publish and proclaim the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Praise His holy name!

Do you remember a while back we asked you to remember us in your prayers for a sponsor for Ft. Worth, TX? We still have not seen that door totally opened yet. There seems to be an opening in that they have a time slot for our broadcast but we haven't found a sponsor yet in that viewing area. If you know of anyone that you could refer us to who lives in Ft. Worth who we could contact and share this request with, please let us know.

We will do all we can to help them understand what PRECIOUS TESTIMONIES is all about and work with them and the public access station in getting our program secured in that area. That is how we were able to get a sponsor for the LaPorte, IN area - through another Christian friend of ours in ministry who gave us permission to give his name as a referral for us. (If you are reading this Jim, thank you!) And praise God it worked out!

Some of our new readers may not be totally familiar with Cable TV Public Access, so let us reemphasize that a "sponsor" for our video broadcasts does NOT require the giving of money. A "sponsor" is simply someone living in the viewing area of that city or community who is willing to sign a standard Public Access form requesting that our broadcast play on their local Access Channel. It's a formality that Public Access stations require for out of town producers such as Precious Testimonies. It also protects the Public Access stations from being "legally forced" to play pornographic videos and other undesirable videos from producers across the country who want to take advantage of FREE television that Public Access affords.

Please keep this in mind about the Precious Testimony videos we play. The Gospel Message "of salvation by grace" is put on virtually every tape we produce. God is not "necessarily obligated" to minister to viewers through just testimonies, but we believe God has imparted to us that if we will minister the Good News of the Gospel on each of the tapes along WITH the testimonies . . . we have His FULL ASSURANCE that "His Word will not come back void." The sharing of one's testimony softens the hearts of the unsaved (along with giving hope and encouragement to the hurting), and ministering The Good News of The Gospel is likened to throwing the rope and the life preserver to a drowning person.

PLUS - we are planting and watering into the hearts of TV viewers that God desires to raise up OTHERS in cities across the country to do what we are privileged to be doing for Him: simply availing ourselves with a camcorder to give Christians in their community a PLATFORM to share what Jesus has done for them, so that the Holy Spirit can draw others to Jesus Christ. Camcorders are very inexpensive, and Public Access television is FREE. All it takes is ONE person and a camcorder -- with a burning desire to see souls saved in their communities to create that platform. Most Christians don't have a platform to share their testimonies where the unsaved can hear them. FREE Cable TV Public Access affords this incredible opportunity!

God is looking for ONE person in each city across this land to be used of Him to "create that platform." Thus PRECIOUS TESTIMONIES is not only creating that platform in Western Michigan for Christians, but privileged to be planting and watering seeds across the country that God is looking to create HUNDREDS OF NEW TESTIMONY PLATFORMS! What an exciting call God has given us, and as you keep us lifted up in prayer, which is so vital and necessary (and we appreciate more than words can express) . . . the increase of lost souls brought into the Kingdom of our Savior will expand His glory throughout the universe and will be credited to your "heavenly account."

We would like to share with you now a very touching poem that gives so much hope and encouragement to those of you who may be struggling somewhat in your walk with the Lord. It was sent to us from one of our sponsors who lives in Kalamazoo, MI (thank you Craig!) It is so good and encouraging that we want to share it with you. If you are not struggling right now, praise God, be blessed anyway! If you are struggling right now or maybe you know someone else who is too - please read on and also feel free to send this poem on to them to brighten and bless their day. There was not a title given for it but the message speaks for itself. Therefore, here it is:

I refuse to be discouraged, to be sad, or to cry; I refuse to be downhearted, and here's the reason why: I have a God who's mighty, Who's sovereign and supreme; I have a God who loves me, and I am on His team.

He is all wise and powerful. Jesus is His name; Though everything is changeable, my God remains the same. My God knows all that's happening; beginning to the end; His presence is my comfort, He is my dearest Friend.

When sickness comes to weaken me, to bring my head down low; I call upon my mighty God; into His arms I go. When circumstances threaten to rob me of my peace; He draws me close unto His breast, where all my strivings cease. He draws me close unto His breast, where all my strivings cease. He draws me close unto His breast, where all my strivings cease.

When my heart melts within me, and weakness takes control; He gathers me into His arms, He soothes my heart and soul. The great "I AM" is with me. My life is in His hand; Jesus Jesus Christ is my hope. It's in His strength I stand.

I refuse to be defeated. My eyes are on my God; He has promised to be with me, as through this life I trod. I'm looking past all my circumstances, to heaven's throne above; My prayers have reached the heart of God, I'm resting in His love. I give God thanks in everything.

My eyes are on His face; The battle's His, the victory mine; He'll help me win the race. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!!!!

-- Author Unknown --

We would like to thank each one of you for being a part of the PRECIOUS TESTIMONIES family, God bless all of you! We hope that you have enjoyed this ministry update and that it has blessed you in some special way. We love you and please know that our prayer for you will be that God will continue to draw you closer to Him as we move closer to His glorious return.

Until next time, Giving God the Glory!
Norm & Kathleen Rasmussen,
Directors

Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among the peoples
(Psalms 96:3)

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: If you are questioning in your heart what this Christian life is all about and would like to know more about being reconciled to God, please click here to learn how you can do that.  Thank you and God bless you!