Equipping The Saints was started by Keith Jones, a former missionary to Colombia and Venezuela with The Evangelical Alliance Mission during the 1970s and early ‘80s. Upon his return to the states he began collecting basic medical tools, books and office supplies for missionaries and national pastors .
Equipping The Saints began in Keith’s basement in 1991 . He opened an office in Staunton, VA, after his basement filled. All too quickly the office was full . He rented 17 storage units, and then filled them.
Within 5 years, the ministry needed more space. The Weyers Cave school had closed and went up for auction in 1996. What happened next can only be attributed to God’s Blessing.
Keith and some board members showed up for the auction and prayed in the parking lot for God’s wisdom on how much to bid for the building. They agreed on a price of 85 thousand dollars (twice the organization’s yearly income.)
They won the auction at their set price and after putting down $500 , had 60 days to raise the rest of the money .
The day before they were to close, the group was $37,000 short. A couple from a church Keith had pastored offered to loan the funds from their retirement account.
A year and half later ETS was debt free.
Please pray for Keith as he is currently in the hospital with a bowel blockage. The doctors are hoping it will respond to antibiotics. We miss him and pray he feels better soon.
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