Dear mission partners, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ,
Thank you to everyone who has prayed for and supported this mission over the years. Only God knows how your prayers and generosity have impacted the many souls we have encountered and ministered to through the support which has enabled us to stay on the field ministering over the last five years. Your sacrifice for the Gospel and the Great Comission is not in vain brethren.
The church overall is doing well here….very well in that aspect considering the church is very young (three years old in December). There is growth in knowledge and obedience and love among the brothers and sisters. There is a group within the church that is constantly wanting more of the Word. A few men with great potential for ministry will be my focus for a while. This Sunday we will also be adding two more to the membership and a wedding next month. This isn’t to say that there aren’t the usual problems and challenges that come with ministry, but overall we see God’s hand in it as Christ continues to build His church. The Lord is good! There are other new faces showing up as well. Most coming from regular, daily interaction through the brothers and sisters as they go about their lives. This is a wonderful thing. As you go…make disciples. There are many other things that have transpired as well.
I spent some time in the states over the Summer. It turned out to be an expensive trip and hurt us financially. The pressure of reporting to supporters, trying to meet new contacts, fundraising and travelling can be tiresome. The trip was not near as fruitful as expected but we trust the Lord will provide as He has in the past. Please pray for that.
We did get some time together with the family, (sadly without Yeison and Sahira), but then for several weeks I was there without them. Christen and the kids came home just before school started. It was difficult to be away from them but during that time I was encouraged, cared for during an illness when I was weak and needy, and met many wonderful brothers and sisters who were a blessing to get to know for the first time in places I had never been. I even had several opportunities to share the Gospel with unbelievers and speak into the lives of some struggling believers during my travels. Two young men specifically come to mind. The Lord in His providence crossed our paths at just the right time, as He always does. Pray for Josh and Jordan.
Unfortunately the hurricanes changed a lot of my plans. I tried my best to be sensitive to everything happening, but finally decided to cancel some visits and speaking engagements to be home with the family during the danger of the storms. One church even paid for a last minute flight for me to be home with them when things looked pretty dangerous during the first storm. I admit to getting a little nervous during that time but the Lord protected us and was very merciful to our family. Our family and home wasn’t affected much, but many people here were and some lost everything. The damage from so much rain continues. Several roads have been severely damaged, lots of flooding, bridges have fallen, and most recently a couple of families from our church had to flee their homes on the edge of a canal due to a danger of the houses collapsing. The house next door to them cracked right down the middle and could literally crumble anytime. Pray for them and many other families affected by the storms.
The church was also broken into (yes again) the very same night of my return. The people who did it took advantage of the storm and power outages to break in when no one could hear or see them. But even without the storms, there are frequent power outages here and these kind of crimes are the normal and quite common. It just comes with the territory.
There are also many brothers and sisters suffering from illnesses and serious financial struggles. Some struggle to eat daily and the church is just barely able to pay its bills. We used the money we had to help some, but the needs are a bit overwhelming at times. But considering the material aspect of the church, even though times are hard, the brethren have been very giving in spite of their poverty. Two weeks ago the church sold lunch after service and raised almost one hundred dollars to help towards a sister who recently had surgery. Now that may not seem like much to raise to the average American, especially for a meal fundraiser, but knowing the serious situation of our congregation, that was quite incredible to see. The love is there, praise the Lord for that!
During a severe trial brought about by affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 I can testify that, according to their ability and even beyond their ability, of their own accord.. –
2 Corinthians 8:2
There many other needs as well. The van and our vehicles are all needing a lot of maintenance. The bad roads here and constant traveling to and fro puts a beating on them. We also would like to see brother Kelvin back in the ministry full time with us. But he is having to work many hours for little money just to barely get by, especially with a new baby on the way next month. We are still praying for some new mission partners willing to sponsor him to have him back in ministry full time.
We had to come up with the money for additional burglar bars on the inside of the building to help deter thieves and protect the little we have. But we really need to fix up the back room and have someone stay in the building. That would be the most effective way to deter would be thieves here, having someone living there and always on the property. That room needs a lot of work though. The new lamps we put up were already stolen during the last black out so the property is very dark at night. We still need to build the classrooms as well and are praying for the funds to do that as soon as the Lord provides. These are just some of the many needs we currently have. Please pray about helping and sharing these needs with your church and friends. Thank you again for holding the rope for this ministry through your gifts and prayers. If you feel lead to help and joining us by supporting this ministry, just click on the donate button of the home page of this website for more info on how to do so. Above all, we need your prayers. Grace and peace. Pray.
I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. – Philippians 1:3-5