Greetings to you in the most glorious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God has continued to sustain the activities of OFUESI and has enabled us to come to you once again through this quarterly newsletter. The letter contains fall-retreats schedule, praise and prayer news, financial information, and a message.

What a privilege to be a citizen of the kingdom of heaven! We truly are a blessed people to understand the fear of the Lord and to find the knowledge of God. As we are reminded in Proverbs 2:1-5, let us continue to receive His word, cry out for discernment, and search for wisdom.

By God's grace, EGF groups have continued to meet regularly. In order to provide a forum for wider fellowship, we are planning to hold four weekend retreats in the months of September and October. In addition to reuniting the like-minded believers, we also hope to revitalize our commitment to the student ministry in India. We covet your prayers and involvement. God willing, we expect either the General Secretary or the Administrative Secretary of UESI to participate in these retreats and to have a direct exchange on how the two organizations can support each other mutually.

A new EGF group was started in New Jersey during the last quarter. Please pray that God showers an extra measure of grace on this group and pray that more EGFs are established as He continues to strengthen our foundation. Remember to thank God on July 29th for sustaining OFUESI through many uncertainties to complete its five years of existence. Your partnership in this ministry is crucial to continue our support to the brothers and sisters of India who are in the frontlines of the battlefield snatching students from the clutches of the evil one.

Remembering the vital role of UESI in my life,
Thirukumar Vethanayagam

Parable of Sower: In Luke 8:4 - 15, Jesus tells a parable about a Sower. Most of us are familiar with this story. The farmer went out to sow the seed. As he was scattering the seed, the seed fell on four different kinds of soil. Let us look at each kind of soil so that we can examine ourselves to see what kind of soil we are.

• Roadside soil (Careless heart): Some seed fell on roadside. We can compare roadside soil to the careless heart. The birds came and ate up the seed. It was compared to Satan, stealing the God's word from our hearts. How does Satan steal the word of God from our hearts? He creates doubt in our minds. Way back in the Garden of Eden, he (Satan) created the doubt in the mind of Eve. He came to Eve and said, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" He has been a deceiver and he creates doubt in human minds so that we will not believe God's word and fall into the temptation. He came to Eve and stole God's word from her heart. She fell into the temptation and sinned.

  In the same way, Satan came to Jesus in the desert, which was recorded in Luke 4:10. He came to Jesus and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." He also tested Jesus with two other temptations. But Jesus gave him the right answer by quoting the Scriptures. So it is very important for us to keep God's word in our hearts so that we will be wise and not yield to the temptations when the devil comes and tempts us. That is why in Ps 119:11, we read the Psalmist saying, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."

  Some people are illiterate in God's word. They don't read/meditate on God's word. Then it is very easy to fall into temptations. How often do you meditate on God's word? Do you have regular quiet time and study time? Are you being careless about God's word? Beware; Satan is crouching at the door. He will steal God's word and will tempt you.

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