VCH News

God has spoken to me about 2009.  It is time to intensely live with eternity in mind.  The devil has been defeated by Jesus Christ through the cross of Calvary.  Jesus became the conqueror and He passed His victory onto us making us more than conquerors in Him.  It is time to leave the devil behind.  It is time to let go of those worldly things that are holding us back.  Things like bad attitudes or habits and events of the past that are hindering our Victorious Walk with Christ.  It is time to take our authority and power in Christ as His divine impartation, calling and positioning in His Mighty army.  It is time to continue to strengthen ourselves in the Word and Spirit more than ever, rising up and increasing the fight of faith.  

So many souls are still lost.  So many people are still without Christ.  So many lives are still trapped in sin, battered and beaten by the god of this world.  We have the answer!  We have the spiritual weapons to fight for their salvation and freedom.  We have the backing of the entire Kingdom of God in order to kick the devil’s behind and command him to leave our family, finances, future and friends alone. We must allow God to increase in our lives. 

The enemy knows that we have declared war.  The battle for the eternity of souls has intensified.  We must, in 2009, make effective plans to maximize our efforts, energy, strategies and finances.  We must pray and fast more effectively both individually and corporately.

I believe God will do more in us and through us than ever before as we constantly keep eternity in mind in 2009.

We are praying regularly for you here at VCH.  You are consistently in our thoughts and prayers.  We are praying for divine impartation to you in 2009 that God’s revelation will daily guide you in every decision that you make and in every direction that you take.

Thank you again for your faithful support.  We look forward to your continued partnership as together we will do great exploits for the Kingdom of God in 2009!

In the Victorious Harvest with you,
David and Donna Blanchard

Hurricane Gustav hit western Cuba with winds of 150 miles per hour damaging or destroying 100,000 homes on Saturday before moving on to the coast of Louisiana.  The disaster struck from Havana to the western city of Pinar del Rio on the main island.  Fidel Castro said the Island of Youth, the country’s second biggest island was hit the worst.  “Hurricane Gustav hit like a nuclear bomb that reminds me of the desolation I saw at Hiroshima,” exclaimed Castro.

This  hurricane knocked out all but two of Cuba’s 16 bakeries that supply the bread for the people on the Isla de Juventud.  Authorities are now struggling to feed its population of 86,000 on this adjoining island.

Hurricane Ike hit massively the following week with 120mph winds roaring from the eastern side of the country.  Ike literally traveled across the entire nation before it wreaked havoc on Texas.  Ike rattled Havana enough to collapse 16 buildings and damage 67 others in the capital city.  Resident Maria Valdez said, “It sounded like Havana had been invaded by an army of ghosts,” referring to the howling winds that blew through the streets littering them with fallen trees, foliage and building debris. Almost 1.25 million people of the 11 million population fled for other shelters across the island.  

According to Victor Ramirez, president of the National Institute of Housing, Ike damaged 200,000 homes as well as nearly 30,000 that were destroyed by the intense winds, torrential rain and high flooding.  Reuters news agency reported the two hurricanes blasted Cuba damaging or destroying 320,000 homes in a country that already had a shortage of 500,000 homes.

In a poor neighborhood along the train tracks, the combined fury of Ike and Gustav left nearly two-thirds of the wooden homes without roofs or completely leveled.  Olga Atiaga, a 53 year old housewife said, “The first one left me something, but this one left me nothing.”  Gustav obliterated her roof and some walls.  Then Ike blew away a mattress and smashed the kitchen sink.  Both of these hurricanes also wiped out the electricity grid,  toppled trees, leveled crops including sugar cane fields, and turned rivers into roaring torrents.

Another divine event took place in El Salvador in the communist colonia of St. John’s Crossing.  We held a 3 day crusade there with Pastor Esteban.  While in this subdivision, we also held Children’s Crusades where we passed out 1,400 pairs of flip flops.  In past trips, we have held medical clinics, distributed food and shoes and ministered to the children, youth and adults.  The Mayor was so impressed with all that the church has been doing for these poor and needy people that he donated land for a new and bigger church to be built close by the town’s community building.  Praise God!

God has orchestrated many divine appointments throughout this year.  One of which was a homeless man named Juan Carlos in Mexico City.  He was ready to commit suicide right there in the park.  He told us, “I have nobody, nowhere to go…it would be better if I was dead!”  Some of the youth and leaders ministered to Juan sharing the message of God’s love with him.  He repeated the prayer of salvation with us and later we took him to get something to eat and blessed him with an offering

The Lord spoke to me that in 2008 there would be a “WIDE OPEN GATE”.  I asked, “a wide open gate for what?”  He said to me: 

v     For more salvation decisions for Christ

v     For more souls to surrender their messed up lives to Him

v     For more restorations, renewals and genuine commitments

v     For more spiritual abundance, anointing and flowing in the Holy Spirit throughout the ministry

v     For more healing, health, miracles, signs & wonders

It is not just an open door; it is an OPEN GATE in 2008 for more of God’s presence in our lives to minister to even more people for Christ.   The Lord told me that we needed to press into His presence like never before so that He would fill us more, in order that there might be more to give as we minister to others.

Here is more good news for you about these “WIDE OPEN GATES”!  Through your faithful prayers and support here is what has happened this year in brief:

v     Through our IHI Bible School graduates who are on the N.E.T. team (National Evangelism Team) in Mexico, 3,734 people have been ministered to this summer and 979 salvations for Christ have been made.  They also trained 804 people in Evangelism Seminars.  Thirty nine people received healing and 118 were baptized in the Spirit.  Glory to God!

v     Through our Mexico, Cuba and El Salvador evangelists and pastors – 14,746 men, women, youth and children have come to the Lord!  They have seen many touched by the hand of God.

v     In Cuba, 297 men and women have been trained through the Evangelism Seminars from 12 different provinces involving 80 towns and cities.  The 5^th Seminar begins September 10^th.

v     A wide open gate to minister in China took place in May.  As we train our IHI students and missionaries to go in to all of the world, VCH also provides opportunities to minister around the world.  Eight of our missionaries and graduates taught and ministered to 250 Chinese in underground churches, cell leader meetings and Bible schools.  We also purchased $1,000 worth of Chinese Bibles and Christian books for these precious believers.

v     During our VCH Mission Trips throughout Mexico and El Salvador this year, we have ministered in churches, plazas, parks, crusades, schools and universities to 46,228 people and of these 11,465 made salvation professions of faith.  Praise God!  Also 259 were baptized in the Spirit and 956 were ministered to and healed by the power of God!  Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever!  Heb. 13

v     For the honor and glory of God, to - date VCH through your help has seen a total of 450,597 salvations for Christ and 388,805 Bibles, New Testaments and Gospels given out to these new believers since 1992!  We are going forward towards our goal of ONE MILLION BIBLES FOR ONE MILLION SOULS with your help.  Thank you for your partnership!

September is here and the students are coming back to the International harvesters Institute.  On Saturday, September 6^th we will have our Opening Service and then on Monday, September 8^th we begin classes again.  We believe God has hand picked each of these students and we are looking forward to a great year.

We have a great need at this time.  At the beginning of September we only had $1,385 in our VCH account.  We know that God has and will provide for all of your needs and ours.  We have seen His faithful hand move many times.  To run the IHI, help the 140 evangelists and pastors in Mexico, El Salvador and in communist Cuba, prepare mission trips, purchase and distribute God’s Word, provide our office staff and missionaries offerings, salaries and support, we need $12,000 per week to continue doing what God has put in our hearts to do.  Would you please pray about a special offering at his time?  We appreciate all that God is doing in us, with us and with you and through you to help us to reach our goal.  Together, we will continue to reach the unreached and tell the untold, bringing multitudes into God’s fold!

Keeping Souls in our Goals,

David Blanchard

P.S.  For your special gift, I would like to send you my latest message

entitled “Rise Up Mighty Army of God”.

The typical percentage of graduates from most Bible Schools that actually go on to full or part-time ministry is less than 50%.  We have 91% of our students that have graduated from the IHI working full or part-time in the ministry.

We are not only training nationals to reach nationals, we are also preparing them to be sent to other nations where the doors are open to Latin missionaries.  We train our students in a balance of Biblical studies with hands-on practical training.  They learn first-hand from our qualified teachers how to put into practice the teachings of Jesus Christ.  We also offer English classes as some of our students believe God is calling them to other countries such as China, Africa, India and other nations where translators from English are much more readily found.

We currently have 30 new student applications with others in process.  We are looking for student sponsors that can help us with students who need help to meet the monthly requirement of $100.00 per month.  If you were a sponsor last year and want to continue your sponsorship please indicate your renewal on by calling our office or emailing us at missions@vcharvesters.org.  If you have not participated in our student sponsorship program would you please pray about becoming a sponsor?  All donations made out to VCH are tax-deductable.  

Right now the National Evangelism Team (N.E.T.), who are graduates from the IHI are traveling and Ministering throughout Mexico.  They are holding evangelism seminars, preaching in crusades and services, ministering in Youth Conferences as well as training and raising up evangelism teams in local churches.  They are a special team of IHI graduates selected to spread the gospel, promote the IHI, recruit students, and raise up evangelism teams.  Please pray for them as they are continuing to minister on after the summer mission trips.  The team members are Diego, Casildo, Chalio, Antonio, Judith, Diana and Cecilia.  The are ministering in Veracruz, Pachuca, Acapulco, Guerrero and Oaxca.   We are supporting this seven member team for only $500 per week for food, lodging & transportation costs plus $100/ week per evangelist in offerings.  The team sent their report back from last week having ministered to 1,438 people with 262 making salvation commitments for Christ.  They ministered in Poza Rica to 700 youth at the Youth Congress there and taught them how to win souls through the evangelism seminar.  Would you consider a one-time offering to help them to finish this summer out?  They need $3,000 to complete their summer ministry schedule.

Last April we finished the memorial prayer garden in front of the Institute!  What a miracle!  It was literally being paid for on a daily basis!  The tile roof was started over the Christmas break.  We broke ground for the Garden April 1st.  Donna drew up the plans and I helped our contractor plot out the ground.  The fountain was originally $2,500 but the owner of the company reduced it to $1,000.   When the project was done and we went to pay what we owed he told us he felt like the Lord wanted him to donate the fountain & two benches!  Praise God!  We are grateful for your help!

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A Special Thanks to all who responded to our appeal for help with the El Salvador outreach!  With your help we were able to distribute 1,400 pairs of flip flops, 1,700 pounds of beans & rice and 3,000 New Testaments.

The children were so excited to receive their brand new pair of flip flops! 

We held a three day crusade in a communist area of El Salvador and God moved in a mighty way.  Many people were healed and gave testimonies of what God had done in their bodies.  We are grateful to have been able to bless so many people with your help!  

The youth from Laredo First Assembly in Laredo, Texas and Orchard Road Christian Center from Denver, Colorado, joined VCH in El Salvador.  The team helped pour concrete for the church basement floor of our mission church in “Dulce Nombre de Maria”.  This team hauled sand, hand mixed the cement and finished the floor in five hours!

Altogether, in El Salvador, we ministered to 8,167,  and saw 2,008 people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus.  Each new believer received a New Testament.  We purchased 3,000  New Testaments, 2,000 “Promises of God” booklets, 1,000 coloring books & 100 full Bibles!

We were so very blessed to be able to bring a smile to the faces of so many grateful people!  Thanks to our compassionate & faithful supporters!

We held two Vacation Bible School programs simultaneously this summer in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. One was held at the International Harvesters Institute headed up by Missionary Kaye Kohler and the other one was in a new subdivision on the outskirts of town.  Our daughter, Rebecca, was the project director for both VBS outreaches.  A team from Tulsa’s “Our Finest Hour” church came down to help make this incredible week happen.  We saw 2,233 children ministered to throughout the week and 501 children gave their hearts to the Lord.  

The team also went out each day to minister in the parks and plazas where they did gospel dramas and ministered to the sick.  They saw 37 divine healings!  Praise God!

Every year one of the highlights of our summer is ministering in one of the world’s largest cities, Mexico City!  In eight days the Northwood Assembly youth, IHI NET team and VCH staff ministered at 69 different sites to 8,085 people and saw 2,014 respond to the gospel message.  We distributed 1,950 New Testaments to new believers!  Praise God for changed lives!

God occasionally lets us see what He is doing in the lives of those we have touched through these outreaches.  Jorge, his wife Carman, son Jorge Jr. and daughter Lesly are another praise report of how the Lord uses VCH.  Jorge (pictured on the bottom right) was in prison when VCH brought a team there two years ago.  After the ministry time Jorge gave his life to the Lord and was changed by Christ.  He is now out of prison and back with his family.  The Lord transforms lives and takes them to the next level even after we are gone.  Jorge is now going to a local church and reading his Bible daily.  He has a taco vending business today.  Pictured below, a man on the street receives ministry just like Jorge did two years ago.  Alma de Leon, our VCH director in Mexico City, plans and coordinates all of our teams while we are there.  Pictured below to the left, she is giving an altar call after the team ministered in drama in Texcoco.  Hundreds responded to the call.