Minstry Update

Ministry Update from Roger Oakland
�From the Heart�

07/26/2016

It has been some time since I have written a personal note sharing about the progress in the ministry of Understand The Times and expressing things that are from my heart. Those who are close to me know that the last six months have been among the most difficult days of my life. This may come as a surprise to those who are not close to me or are, at best, indifferent to the ministry of Understand The Times. One of the greatest difficulties has been to learn of those who have professed to be friends who, at best, are no friends at all.

If you are close to my closest friends and my family, you know I am not exaggerating. In short, the ministry of being a watchman is not a glorious one nor does it bring any honor or position with it. When a man or woman is called to serve God, there are no guarantees there will be great times of blessing or an overabundance of encouragement. And, in fact, even the closest friends and relatives can turn their backs on you, sometimes out of misunderstanding the calling of a watchman and even sometimes out of fear of the price it costs to be one or to be associated with one. Check out the Old Testament prophets.

The purpose of this update is not to seek pity from those who read it. I am being honest and straight to the point. I had considered backing away from �front-line� warfare after my serous accident in 2009. Actually, I had no choice because I was very ill. A person with a brain injury is not usually a candidate for �filling a pulpit,� writing commentaries and/or books, or producing audio and video commentaries.

It seems that when one is called, God intervenes, and weak vessels can be used as mouthpieces that are often considered too bold and outspoken. While I do not consider myself a great spokesperson, I do apparently have the ability to make �brothers and sisters� mad�especially those who do not seem to know the Bible or understand the times in which we live. When elders of churches make claims that you are on the verge of a nervous breakdown and in need of psychiatric treatment in an effort to try and silence you, it is hard not to overlook such critics. This is when you have to dig very deep for the grace of God to carry on regardless.

As you may have surmised, LORD willing, I have not died nor am I ready for a straight-jacket or shock treatments as some have woefully indicated. I am also grateful for a small Baptist fellowship of believers that was introduced to Myrna and me by our good friend Allan Esses. Without the love and support of that particular church, I would have probably listened to my critics, taken their advice, laid down, shut up, and never been heard of again. But I am happy to report, I am still here, a vessel for the Lord to work through. I do not claim my own strength, but I rely solely on His.

With this brief overview of what it is like to be me, I now want to present a more positive vision for the future.

The following points will summarize some of the major tasks at hand as our team endeavors to serve the Lord in these last important days of time:

� I am presently authoring a book The Good Shepherd Calls: An Urgent Message to the Last Days Church that, Lord willing, will be published by Lighthouse Trails before the year end.

� I have just presented a scientific and philosophical paper in Rome, Italy on the topic of Creation or Evolution: An Analysis based on an Understanding of the Coming One World Religion for Peace Promoted by the Pope. This paper will be published by Lighthouse Trails and will be available soon.

� Web sites for Understand The Times are being planned for several foreign languages. These include Burmese, Russian, Spanish, French, Haitian, and Italian. Several of my books in these and other languages will be posted online, and many of my articles and commentaries will be made available along with translations of video documentaries and teachings that have already been translated. All of these materials will be accessed by Internet surfers from around the world.

� We will be soon actively working toward a daily radio and video program formatted for several media outlets, including a station in my home town of Eston, Saskatchewan, as well as Edinburgh, Scotland and studios in Southern California and New Zealand.

� What I am most excited about is the broadcasting of professional-quality (English) video commentaries (documentaries) that can be accessed by people from around the world on the Internet for free. These are being produced and edited by a friend of mine who was the video technician at CCCM for over 35 years and now does freelance video work.

When I say free, it is obvious these documentaries are not free. What I mean by free is that viewers will have access to the information without having to pay a cent. Obviously, there are costs involved; however, we believe God is our provider, and we do not believe we need to manipulate people by offering them salvation for eternity or a free ticket out of purgatory. Having just returned from Rome, Italy, we saw such things first hand.

Bryce Homes International

I�d like to say a few words about our Bryce Homes Program that has now expanded to seven countries and over 80 Bryce Homes with about 500 children, widows, and leaders thanks to the generous giving of many donors. After serious discussions and prayer, the UTT Boards in both Canada and the USA have decided to implement necessary changes in the program. Up until now, and especially during the past year, UTT has had to subsidize some of our Bryce Homes with our personal money or support that was designated to the ministry of UTT general funds. We have some countries that do not receive any designated funds at all, and we have a very large budget committed to them.

We are no longer going to be able to do this subsidizing, and each Bryce Home country will receive only those donations sent to Understand The Times designated by donors for the specific countries they donate to. While on the one hand, we see some amazing things taking place within the Bryce Homes (in some cases, entire communities are being affected and many are turning their lives over to the Lord). On the other hand, the program costs money on a monthly basis.

This new rule of thumb has developed out of necessity. Our total expenditure per year exceeds $250 thousand, which comes to us from around the world from various donors. We do not solicit funds. Only Canadians and Americans can receive tax receipts. Because of the hatred for Bible-believing Christians in our current world, we are anticipating that receipted donations to any Christian church or non-profit organization will soon be deemed non-existent.

Annual Meetings for UTT

We are presently planning our Canadian UTT annual meeting and our annual Board meeting in Regina, Saskatchewan, August 13-14, 2016. The schedule for these meetings can be located on our web site. Several speakers beside myself will be contributing, and there will be input from some of my friends I partner with from around the world via live streaming. For those who would like to join us at these meetings, the meetings will be free with the exception of the dinner on Sunday afternoon. The meetings will also be live streamed for those who cannot attend.

One final statement. One of my mentor�s had a famous statement that people often recite as if it were a Bible verse. He said: �Where God guides, God provides.� Since this man passed on to be with the Lord, his empire has dwindled. Some even predicted this before he died and cried Ichabod. Time has shown that God is not subject to the plans of man, and as Robert Burns once said �the best laid plans of Mice and Men go oft astray.� So in other words, God does provide when He is guiding, but so often man tries to put his hand into the situation to make it better according to his own understanding, much like the Israelite priest Uzza who tried to stabilize the ark when it was being moved in a way contrary to God�s specific instructions.[1]

This ministry overview has been written to be informative. We are at a critical junction and perceive some watershed events ahead in the future. There are many things that have not been mentioned. The pressure on my personal life and my family at the moment is great. Without the Holy Spirit leading and comforting us, I would be doomed.

If you can do nothing else, please pray for the ministry of Understand The Times, that God would lead, direct, and guide and that many would be reached with the gospel while the world is sinking deeper into darkness and so many are on their way to hell. When the video commentaries begin to appear, this will be one more category you can choose to support if you are looking for a ministry to partner with.

Sincerely in Christ alone,

Roger Oakland

Understand The Times

[1] 1 Chronicles 13:9-10

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