March 12, 2001                                       

My name is Gene Klapper and I am the Missions Representative for Metro Church of Allen.

My first foreign missions trip was made during August 1998 while I was a member of Metro Church of Garland.  On August 1, 1999 I retired and became a full-time foreign missionary. 

The countries where the team and I currently travel to are in Africa (Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) and Asia (Bangladesh, Burma, India, and Nepal).  We make five trips a year.  On each trip we visit one and occasionally two countries.  Trips are at the invitation of pastors or evangelists from these respective countries.  The trips are predominantly controlled by the weather.  During the months of January, February, March, and again in  October and November we travel to the Asian countries.  From April through September while there are monsoons in Asia we plan our mission trips to Africa.  We take a break and spend some time at home with our families from mid-November thru mid-January.

Our primary focus is “Salvation” -  preaching a simple and straightforward Gospel message. We also pray for the sick and see many healings and deliverances.  Home churches are started where new Christians can congregate and be taught more about Jesus and the Bible.  Local pastors and evangelists are left to continue these discipleship efforts . 

The team members feel that our “calling” is to go out into the “remote/bush” areas of countries that are not on the “most popular” list.  We go where most other missionaries do not and will not go and there we  primarily share the Gospel with people who have “never” heard the name of Jesus Christ and have no concept of salvation.  Most of them are Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Animists, or have no religious beliefs at all (like the Masaii in Tanzania). Our local contacts provide the interpretation into local language(s) or dialects.

Travel can vary from land rovers, boats, canoes, ped-a-bikes, and many times we just have to walk to get to the villages.  There are times when we sleep in sleeping bags; on dirt floors in mud huts; in small hostels/hotels; many times our food has to be hand-carried into the villages and prepared by the locals.  It consists mainly of rice and beans and we drink and lot of fresh green coconut juice (good stuff).  Water purifiers are carried to purify river water when purified bottled water is not available.   When praying over our food, it is “really” prayed for!!

Each team member is responsible for paying for his portion of the expenses, i.e. food, lodging, transportation, personal purchases.  We always give support money to the local team when departing for home.  Various means of transportation, i.e. land rovers, mopeds to bicycles, have been purchased which are used for the on going ministering to the remote locations.   Donations have also been made to purchase buildings for churches and f land for building churches.  Relief for each team member’s expenses is received through donations from our home churches, friends, and other sources, with the balance becoming our personal responsibility. 

Tax deductible contributions to help support my mission trips can be made to “Metro Church of Allen, 602 E. Main Street, Suite D, Allen, TX 75002” indicating in the “For” section of the check “Gene Klapper Mission Fund”.   My Email address is isaiah6n8@netscape.net.  The isaiah6n8 is the Bible verse from Isaiah 6:8 “Here am I Lord, send me”. Pictures from my travels can be seen on the web and can be viewed at: www.picturetrail.com.  Member name is: isaiah6n8.  I also have videos and pictures that I am willing to share with people to get a good look at  where we go, what is done on these trips, a little of what these countries look like, and how the people live.  See me to check out the pictures or videos.

The church has allowed me to have a bulletin board where letters and articles, received from the pastors and evangelists, can be posted for the congregation to read.  Our church has an eyeglass ministry with  Archbishop Zebadiah Mwakatage of Mbeya, Tanzania in which we collect old eyeglasses and send them to him to distribute them to anyone who has a need. Metro Church has adopted the Archbishop and his ministry in Tanzania and provides quarterly financial support to him.  The church has also provided money for food during droughts, floods, crop failures, financial assistance for schooling, as well as the on-going discipleship efforts provided by the local pastors. Along with the Missions Bulletin Board we have a world map depicting the locations, throughout the world, where church members have carried the Gospel.  We are definitely a “Missions Minded” church. 

My plans are to continue this type of “work” as long as the Lord allows.                                                                

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