January 01, 1979 by Ralph D. Winter

Caught your eye, didn't it!

Caught my eye, too; in my devotions a few days ago (Ex 36:6)

That happens to be OUR GOAL. And 1979 has proven that it is a feasible goal. People said we were crazy three years ago when we planned a vast campus based program that could run entirely without operational fund raising.

Well, you will be glad to know we have just completed our first calendar year of full campus occupation. The entire campus has operated well in the black without one penny of donations. For this we thank God. Write for financial report.

Then why, you say, do we still want each of you to help us pass on "Grapevine Letters" to bring in further $15.95 gifts? Answer: It is to pay off the campus now that we are owners.

The year 1980 brings a whole new pattern  smallish quarterly payments rather than annual big ones. As we look back we are humbled that God has brought us past two "impossible" hurdles¬$850,000 in Sept 1977, and $650,000 in Sept 1978. Then in 1979 we completed (finally in December) our last "huge" quarterly payment. of $344,000 due Sept 15,1979.

Now we are biting our finger nails (when our faith dips) about the series of "smallish" quarterly $175,000 payments we are dealing with. We feel profoundly that God wants us to depend less on His urging people to give special gifts, and more and more on lots of people being reached by those who have already given, sharing the vision of the Hidden People and only incidentally drawing in the necessary $15.95 gifts. We have paid only $50,000 (Jan 10) toward the December 15th payment. This has strained our faith. Yet we know that in the history of missions the miraculous timing is what is usually reported, not the over run deadlines.

God could easily jack us up. But we feel He wants more than ever to concentrate on spreading the vision as we spread out the load. Really, in one sense, the $15.95 gift is only a confirmation that some one has gotten the point! We are more eager for people to get the point than give the gift, as much as we need all who have given to help us pass the vision on still further.

Pray about it! You can lighten many a life by giving new hope and insight and challenge. Can you lend your JERICHO book? Can you mail out or pass out a few Grapevine Letters? Tear off the back page and we'll supply you. You too can spread the VISION.