LAST CALL MINISTRIES
OCTOBER 2018
┼ DOUG & MESI
Inside this issue:
Ethiopia-Eritrea Reality Cover
Gotta Get an Education!
Our New Car
About LCM
Contact and Support Info
Mission Statement ┼
12 Years and Counting ♥
ISSUE XXIV
QUARTERLY UPDATE:
ETHIOPIA—ERITREA REALITY
Just the other day, driv- then this. One giant step of the believers in Eri-
ing back through town forward, politically trea. The basis of that?
after language class, speaking, has happened Well, while there are
2 my language teacher literally overnight. God 4,000,000+ Tigrinya
and I were in awe at the has opened a door, speaking people here in
sheer number of cars in widely and quite unex- Tigray of Ethiopia, there
3 town donning Eritrean pectedly. The previ- are another 2,000,000+
license plates, both per- ously icy relations be- Tigrinya speakers just
4
sonal vehicles and com- tween Ethiopia and Eri- north of the border in Eri-
mercial transports haul- trea had mirrored that of trea. Previously closed to
ing cement, taf grain, North and South Ko- us, this new Ethiopia-
4
wheat flour and so rea’s impasse. Things Eritrea Reality is now the
many other goods back are definitely thawing open door to see many
4 to Asmara, the capitol out. Now we are seeing more among this lan-
of Eritrea, just hours a whole new playing guage group granted ac-
4 away. The peace deal field, and if I am per- cess to the knowledge of
between the two na- mitted, I would like to the gospel & the Scrip-
tions is a reality. Years- make a trip for File- tures in audio and audio-
-no, decades--of Sharing Evangelism visual format. DM
prayers for Eritrea and Training and Equipping
Page 2 Q U A R T E R L Y U P D A T E : D O U G & M E S I

GOTTA GET AN EDUCATION!

“Noah loves it! He is a

good and obedient
student and loves to
practice his writing
and reading. “

Our son, Noah-Sarang, has already attended KG-1 and KG-

2 in a local school here in the city of Mekele. The local
schools teach in the local language, Tigrinya, and while they
also teach English, competency English is still developing.
It is up to me (with God’s help and your prayers) to act as
our son’s teacher. Recently, Bro. Paul Haines (Elder, HBC),
sent me a K5 Phonics, Reading, Writing and Numbers Cur-
riculum book by Abeka so that I might have a good format
to follow for properly teaching our son to read and write.
Though we will not be able to do all that the Curriculum has
to offer since we lack the supplementary materials necessary
for actual students in the program, there are basics in the
book to follow along with which provide a substantial for-
mat for teaching the necessary basics of proper reading and
handwriting. Noah loves it! He is a good and obedient stu-
dent and loves to practice his writing and reading. He is al-
ready reading a large number of words as we’ve progressed
through the first lesson plans of the book, and smiles so big
whenever he knows he’s done a good job! He especially
loves that he is learning to write in cursive just like his
Daddy—cursive is not taught here in Tigray. Noah is excited
every day to get to learn his reading and writing. On top of
his school, this will be a great challenge for us. DM
 I S S U E X X I V Page 3

Our New Car :)

We were beside ourselves as our guest, a dear friend in Christ above 10 years, gave us the news back in
March of this year. Kim Junsu, a Korean Christian who attended and contributed to our international Chris-
tian ministry years ago, sat in our living room after dinner and humbly communicated that he was compelled
by God’s work in his life to give us a car…yes, a car! Obviously, we were beside ourselves. It is rare a gift,
and that’s what makes it beautiful. We’ve never asked anyone for a car. We’ve never communicated any-
thing resembling a discomfort with using the local transportation and our own feet as we’ve served the Lord
for more than a decade in northern Ethiopia. It’s just never been an issue. And then...this. This huge, shining
act of generosity. Still beside ourselves… This is such a helpful gift as the current ministry has required
much more travel around the region of Tigray in north Ethiopia! Along with Junsu gifting us with the car, I
must recognize with thanks and honor those who contributed their love, time, experience, and work to get the
car in tip-top shape and legal status before we got in it and drove it back up north to Mekele, namely, Negash
Gemeda (like a father to me), KOICA employees Wendessen and Dawit, and Lee Jae Hoon (Korean mis-
sionary). Above all, our hearts are filled with thanks to you for your prayers and to God who answers. DM

“This huge,
shining act of
generosity. Still
beside
ourselves…”
Last Call Ministries
About LCM: Last Call Ministries is a 501c3 Organization

To Support: PO Box 5457, Shreveport,
LA 71171 USA
To Contact: Phone: 318-458-9602
Email: joespell@keptprivate.com (Joe
Spell)
which began in 1997. For the last 20 years, LCM has
been “proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, until He re-
turns, in word, letter and deed.” LCM is currently spon-
soring Doug & Mesi, who are commissioned by their home

Correspond w/ Doug & Mesi: PO Box church: Heritage Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana.
1944, Mekele, Tigray, Ethiopia All monies received are currently in support of the budg-
Email: dglsmerrick@yahoo.com eted work underway in Tigray. 2017 marked the 20th an-
Proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus
Christ until He returns, in word, niversary of the organization’s beginning. We rejoice in
letter and deed!!! the years of God’s gracious extent of the gospel!

We’re on Facebook. Go to: Or go to: Douglas Merrick ‘Add

Partnership-Doug & Mesi
Merrick-Last Call Ministries’
Mission Workers. . .
friend’ & then message me to
LCM
request the Partnership Page
for Doug & Mesi. . .

12 Years and Counting ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

On October 8th, Mesi and I celebrated 12 years of marriage over lunch at a
local hotel that overlooks the city of Mekele. It was a quiet time of thankful-
ness and affirmation of our love and devotion to one another. The weather
was superb. We both recognized that God has been extremely kind and mer-
ciful to us in giving us the solid foundation for our marriage in Christ Jesus.