Greetings in the name of Yahshua.  We just returned from our trip to Kenya with much success.  There are several thousand members in Kenya, who Elder Duggar from Church of God 7th Day, started a congregation with in 1971.  Duggar is the one who ordained Herbert Armstrong back in 1931 and died in 1975.  It was really an eye-opening trip to us in many different ways.  The brethren down there are extremely poor, but have such high spirits it was amazing.  Most do not have even the simple conveniences such as electric, running water or indoor plumbing, but none of them complained in the least.  It also taught us that material blessings are not always a real indication of one's spiritual condition.  It was such a testimony to us.  We drove to a different congregation almost daily in small public transportation called Mutatos.  These are 10-passenger mini-van that they cram in about 22 to 25 people.  We were told that before the government tightened the laws for the crowding of these vans they even had people sit on top of the roof of the van, but again no complaints.  One young girl had waited 6 months just to thank us for a dress she received in an earlier aid package.  Their humility won't be forgotten.  The women there especially are extremely hard workers.  We were blessed to witness the baptism of 15 new family members while there.

We are determined to continue to work with the brethern there to help them with their main problems of unemployment of about 80%, and the education of their children which is very, very poor.  We are trying to start a project, Yahweh willing, to help them get a school property that they can work from to create jobs and income and also not only educate their children to the ways of yahweh, but also other Kenyan children.  The school, if purchased, could also be privatized, so that not only would they be able to properly educate their children in the ways of Yahweh but they could also produce income to use for the starving poor African brethren.  This would also put the Church in Kenya on a safe ground with the government.  Although freedom of religion is the official policy of Kenya, Sabbath keepers are frowned upon, and not truly legitimized.  With a school as headquarters it could protect them from persecution in the future, but most importantly teach their children how to read so that they can learn to read the Bible.  We are setting an estimated goal of between $10,000 to $15,000 to purchase property and build a school building.  It could also be used to house fleeing brethren from Sudan, Ethiopia, and Uganda  We are also going to be sending them aid to help them evangelize to other areas.  They have started congregations in Ethiopia, Uganda and Sudan.   We met one of the ordained elders from Sudan who shared with us the dire need to the brethren there.  They are dying of diarrheas, starvation, and many other things.  As poor as the Kenya brethren are, each congregation took up an offering for the Ethiopia brethren.  We also gave a sizable offering for the brethren there.  Between civil war and drought, the situation in both Ethiopia and Sudan is desperate.  Many have fled these countries and are living in refugee camps under UN control.  You can read in out newsletter of some of the horrific stories happening in Uganda and Sudan.

We are calling this project "Project Africa"  Our goal is to make Kenya self sustaining in 12 months.  These people are hard workers, and don't just want handouts.  All they honestly need is a little jump-start from the brethren around the world who have been blessed to help them.  If we could accomplish the school building project in the next 12 months, then from the income of this project, the Kenyan brethren would fund all the other needy brethren from the other African countries.  We truly have the opportunity not to just help one needy brother, but to literally change the lives of thousands of African brethren in that part of the world.  And, as I had already stated, to some of them, it is life and death.

If anyone would like to contribute to this project over the next 12 months, please put for the Kenya project on your offering.  Both Petra and Myself are fully committed to help in any way possible.  The love and dedication of the brethren down there truly touched us in a way words cannot express.  We thank you for all your prayers, and support to the African Brethren.

"UPDATE FROM THE PHILIPPINES: (March 2006)" "Personal…….. " We just got back from a simply wonderful and eye opening trip to the Philippines. Our trip started out by visiting a messianic congregation in Seattle Washington called El Shaddai. There was about 150 Brethren there and it was truly a wonderful experience. The next day we had a rare opportunity to visit a Sunday keeping congregation also in the Seattle area. Yahweh’s spirit was really moving with that particular group. I gave a message about the Torah being binding for all time and how modern Christianity has changed many of the original customs of true believers including changing the Sabbath day to Sunday. The message was well received and the Pastor invited us to lunch afterward and was truly moved by the message. He was so moved that he wants to take the whole congregation into the Hebraic roots movement and wanted us to come back for a week to teach about the Torah, Holy days etc. Praise Yahweh! We left later that night for a long trip across the Pacific Ocean through Taiwan to the Philippines. We were quite humbled at what we saw during our time there. There is an expression that goes, “I thought I was poor because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet”. This is what we felt in the Philippines. I had thought that I saw poor brethren in Africa, but the situation seemed even much worse in the Philippines. Many brethren are what are called squatters. This means they have no land to live on and are just living on any land that is available. This also means the government can come at any time and forcefully evict them from their land.

The average wage in the Philippines is about $5 per day and unemployment is about 25% or higher and it seemed much higher in the congregations. One of the reasons for the high unemployment in the congregations is the fact that most Filipino’s are forced to work on the Sabbath to hold a job. This even puts more pressure on those Filipinos who are working. Most brethren could not even afford $1 or $2 for bus fare to come to services. Also many of our widows in the Philippines are without any financial help and some do not even have food.

Crime is relatively high and many face the risk of being lashed with a knife right in the streets. The government there is mostly corrupt and does little for its people. There is almost no retirement or health care for the poor. People live day by day because they don’t have much other choice and there is little hope of any change in the future.

We were most amazed that even under these dire conditions the mood of the Pilipino brethren was cheerful and most excited to see us. Elder Rodolfo Malapit, who is the head Elder in the Philippines for Congregation of Yahweh met us with much joy.

He told us of the history of Sabbath keepers in the Philippines that started with his father in 1943. His father Polycarp Malapit joined the Church of God 7th day at that time. He then joined the sacred name movement in the year 1950 under Elder Clarence Dodd who was co-author in his timeless book called “A True History of the True Church”.

Since that time many different congregations have started and there are over 1,000 brethren in the Philippines.

Petra and I paid for 2 busses to pick up brethren from many different areas, to bring them to services, to meet us and the brethren. We also have been blessed by Yahweh to pay for a meal afterward as we were told that the brethren did not have money to bring food for Sabbath. There were about 140 brethren present. They all seemed so joyful to meet us and were so excited about the message of hope and unity that was brought to them.

Afterward we had an Elders meeting with about 14 Elders that were present at the service. I was informed that all the different factions groups that had been separated for almost 40 years now wanted to be united together with Congregation of Yahweh Jerusalem and the work that the Heavenly Father was blessing us with. I most welcomed the opportunity to help them and work with them. There were congregations that were formerly associated with Jacob O Meyers Assembly of Yahweh, YNCA- Yahweh’s New Covenant assembly, and other various groups loosely tied to everything from former Worldwide Church of God and other sacred name movements. I was quite humbled that they all wanted to be united with us. Presently about 60 congregations have joined with the efforts of Congregation of Yahweh Jerusalem.

I asked them why they wanted to be associated with Congregation of Yahweh Jerusalem and they shared that we were the only group that was reaching out to help the poor Pilipino Brethren in their struggles to survive, and most other ministries would not even visit them because it was not in their interest financially. It was very discouraging to hear that so many in the leadership in the US are selling the gospel and constantly panhandling the Brethren for money no matter how poor they are. This MUST be stopped in the congregations and again I ask that anyone who has a catalogue and is selling the word of Yahweh to be marked and disassociated with. This is the only way that some of them might repent.

I really don’t think that most of us in the west realize how many physical blessings that we have and how much our brethren around the world are suffering. Some of our brethren in the Philippines have recently had their homes and possessions destroyed by flooding and mudslides and have lost everything. We brought clothing and financial aid to help these people try to survive the tragedy of the situation.

We in the US also had tragedy last year in Hurricane Katrina as well as others; the only difference being that through government programs and insurance at least most Americans (but not all) have the opportunity to rebuild and move on. To the Pilipino brethren this is not the case. No one in the Philippines can afford insurance and most will never recover from such tragedies. In both scenarios Katrina and the Philippines there was also tragic loss of life.

We spent almost every penny that we brought with us to the Philippines and we barely scratched the surface of the problems there of helping the brethren. We did bring much hope to them that brethren around the world want to help them and also pray for them. We were able to set up several programs for the poor and widows and also were able to give a man who is an elder money for a hearing aid; he had lost his hearing aid over 15 years ago. Just think about that! If any of us lost our hearing aid we would probably replace it within a week or so, but this man like most in the Philippines had to wait until Yahweh sent someone to give him the money to replace it.

We will continue to work with and help the Pilipino Brethren with the problems that they are facing there. We also shared with them that we are also living by faith and were only blessed to go there and help them because of you the brethren that funded this project. We truly thank you from the bottom of our heart for this! You have helped to make a major difference to the brethren there and we will continue to help them as Yahweh blesses us to do so. If anyone is led to give specifically for this project please write

“ Pilipino Project” on your check . We thank you so much for your prayers for us both on this trip and your love for us.

As Passover is drawing near I am so moved and humbled by the amazing love and grace that our Heavenly Father Yahweh has bestowed on us by sending His only Son Yahshua to die for our sins. I am also sobered at the responsibility that we have for the things of Yahweh that he has entrusted us with. We must start to get a unified focus toward the end time work of Yahweh for the body of Messiah. This is not a one man show but we are all members of that one body and brothers and sisters together for the glory of Yahweh. It hurts so much to see some in the body of Messiah to have to live under such dire conditions. Some of the Elders in the Philippines have been Elders for almost 40 years and have no retirement or money to live on for their old age. But they are full of faith and securely know that the true reward will come at Yahshua’s return. You have no idea how happy I am that Yahweh allowed me to help these people and how blessed I feel for having so many wonderful loving co-workers in the harvest as yourself who sacrifice and care for the less fortunate sheep of Yahshua.

May Yahweh bless each and every one of you for your sacrifice and service to him during this special Passover season.

"Personal …………………. (October 2006)"

Shalom in the wonderful names of Yahweh and Yahshua. I just returned from a most awesome and miraculous trip to Uganda with Brother David Erb of Alabama. It truly was a mission trip like no other..

This is the first mission trip that I have taken that not only weren’t there any congregation of YHWH’s in Uganda but I did not even know or even have contact with even one person from Uganda before our trip, but as I told in my testimony this summer in America that Yahweh was getting ready to open some big doors in Uganda and commissioned me to go there. It was the blessing of my life to take the calling..

A Pastor from Uganda named Nehemiah set up a conference in which I was to be the guest speaker. The conference lasted for 4 days. This was the very first time that these people ever heard about the name of our Creator Yahweh, or about His Sabbath covenant with the children of Israel or that Yahweh’s law was not nailed to a cross but still stands today..

I prayed about how do I even start to teach people that have not had any foundational teachings at all in these areas? I had prepared 4 messages to give each day of the conference and every day without fail, as soon as I went to the pulpit to preach, the Father had me put away my notes and talk on an entirely different subject than what I had prepared. Although it is not the first time that Yahweh has given me a different message when I reached the pulpit, this is the first time that it happened for every message I prepared..

The first day there was about 100 people who showed up and I spoke on revealing the name of the Creator, and of course it stirred a lot of questions from the audience after the message. One little boy about 9 or 10 years old came forward and asked the question “ That if our Creator’s name is Yahweh and not God shouldn’t we be calling Him by His real personal name Yahweh?” The response was a thunderous applause from the audience. I wasn’t sure how it was received until the next day when people came to the pulpit and instead of saying thanks be to “God”, they started saying thanks be to Yahweh..

I also explained to them that just because they had the Creator’s name incorrect that did not diminish in any way from the relationship that they had with Him, because they still knew the character of the Spirit even though they did not know His name. They received this well..

The second day Yahweh had me reveal to them their Israelite heritage. They were dumbfounded and many had tears in their eyes to find out that they were indeed truly Children of Israel. The Pastor then said that this explained many questions to them because the tribe that these people came from called Bantu’s ( which means my people) was the only tribe in Uganda who did not know their background past their grandparents and they were yearning to know who they are. Hos 1:10b And it shall be, in the place where it is said to them, You are not My people, it shall be said to them, Sons of the Living Elohim..

He then called all the tribal Elders up and one by one they started to explain how they knew what I was saying was correct. They told me that they were told by archaeologists that their ploughs that they plough with are exactly like ancient Israel used to use and they did not know why, and also the way that they thresh their grain is exactly the way ancient Israelites did this and they could not explain why; only that their forefathers whom migrated from Ethiopia and other areas brought these traditions with them. After many more testimonies and even words that were used in their tribal language such as Emmanuel and even a form of the sacred name of Yahweh, which was used instead of the word lord, that they could not explain how they knew all this, but that the ancestors that brought these traditions had to be from the lost tribes of Israel..

I was so honoured that our Heavenly Father used me to find these lost sheep of Israel and to bring the true gospel to them. I had never in my life seen people more eager to receive the truth. .

Every day of the conference more and more people came and the last day we had between 300 and 400 people present, and they all just could not get enough of the truth. After I shared a message on the Sabbath covenant, several Pastors came forward with tears in their eyes, and repented to the congregations for teaching them lies and promised to start to have Sabbath services the very next week. I have never seen such a mass conversion on this scale to a nation in my life..

There were also several miracles and healings by Yahweh to confirm what I was saying was truly His word and His law continues to stand forever. One man was so sick unto death that they could not even manage to bring him out of bed even on a stretcher. They did not say what his sickness was but from the way it was described it sounded like he may have even had aids. They asked for prayer for him that night and after we prayed that evening the next day he was COMPLETELY HEALED! Praise Yahweh..

I then found out that we had an invitation by the president of Uganda to visit the Presidential state house and visit him and his wife. This was to be the last day we were there before going to the airport, but the Ugandan Pastor ran into some car problems and the First Lady had to go to a special parliament meeting and we had to meet with her personal secretary instead. This actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise for if we met the President and First lady it would have been for maybe 10 or 15 minutes and a photo opportunity, but the Secretary met with me for 1 ½ hours and Yahweh allowed me to share the whole gospel message through the 12 tribes of Israel. The madam secretary was in tears by the end of our meeting, and took my books to give to the First Lady and said most assuredly that I will hear from the First lady and asked for me to write to her personally..

I shared with her the special ness of my visit and that Yahweh was reclaiming Uganda back for Him and the children of Israel that lived there. If you remember when the UN created the modern nation of Israel in 1948 they took a vote and nearly put the country of Israel in Uganda as many Jews lived there. Then when Edi Amin came to power and tried to make Uganda a Muslim state and started expelling Jews from Uganda, Yahweh’s blessing left, but now He is bringing His blessing back to that Nation if they continue to support the Nation of Israel. This was my personal message for the Madam Secretary to give to the President from me. Another interesting thing happened to show our visit from the Prince of peace was truly from Yahweh. There has been civil war going on in Uganda for over 20 years and miraculously the day we arrived a ceasefire and peace deal went into effect paving the way to show that we came in the name of Yahshua the Prince of Peace..

I can’t begin to tell you what a blessing it was for both David and I to be blessed to be the ones that Yahweh chose to bring this message to Uganda. The openness and zeal and love that the Ugandan people showed us was the most moving thing of all about the trip. Most people in Uganda make only 1 or 2 dollars a day and yet they were so happy at their jobs and content to be able to be working. They took such pride in doing a good job for there boss. The man whose job was to cook for us, stayed with us for a whole week away from his family just in case we had a need in the middle of the night. We were told that even if we were 7 or 8 hours late, if a Ugandan knew a guest was coming that day, they would wait and give the little bit of food they had to the guest because they are so happy that a guest would welcome their presence in their home..

Brethren please keep these new brethren in your prayers and especially the pastors that will now be preaching the truth there, as they will get a lot of persecution from the false money hungry Sunday pastors that have been deceiving these poor dedicated people for so long. I did not have time to do a mass baptism of the new converts but was only able to do so, and laying on of hands for the main Pastor who will re-baptise the brethren soon. My prayer tonight to Yahweh is that all His people worldwide would have the zeal and love of the truth that we saw from the Ugandan Brethren and prepare their wedding garments for the bridegroom is coming! "HalleluYAH "!!!!!!! .

      B'Shem Yahshua,
                                Don