October 2023 Update
We thank the Lord for His help in the ministry. We have seen many blessings so far this year and are trusting Him to continue to work in the lives and hearts of our people.
We are excitedly awaiting our next container of scripture. We have run out of tracts and Bibles, and pastors are asking for them. As of this writing, we are just waiting for the date it can be taken to the port for shipping. It is loaded with 4 pallets of Bibles, 4 pallets of tracts and 9 pallets of scripture portions. This is our 3rd container we have had shipped over with printed materials, but this time is different. Instead of renting it we have purchased this container with the assistance of HELP Mission South American. Once it arrives, we will be able to use it to store all the contents rather than have it spread across 3 or 4 different churches. Again, thanks to HELP Mission South America, the shipping has also been paid for, but would you help us pray for the logistics of getting it into the country and setting it up? We are expecting a little more trouble in customs due to us not only importing the scripture but also the container itself. We are also working on the space where the container will sit. As you can imagine, a container that weighs 20 tons needs a good base to support it. We are currently working through all these logistics.
We continue to ask for your prayers about the new roof at our first church, Mount Carmel. The more we think about the space and adding this roof, the more it just makes sense. It will really open the church up and allow for more options in the future. While $12,000 is a lot to invest in an existing church, I believe it will be worthwhile in the long run.
Two of our churches have recently had baptism services. We do not tell many stories about individual people because we normally don’t have the space in our letters. However, we thought you might enjoy this one. A few months ago, Bernardo started attending our church. Bernardo is 79 years old and walks with a cane. When he first arrived, he had just returned from a rehabilitation center due to an alcohol addiction. While he was in the rehab center, someone shared the gospel with him, and he was saved. Since moving back home, he has been faithful to attend church services. Just last week, while we were painting the church, it was special to see him lay his cane on the floor, put his hand on the wall to support himself and start sanding just like the rest of us. He couldn’t do a lot due to his lack of strength but what a blessing to watch him do what he could to serve the Lord. Last week, we had the privilege of baptizing him. Though he was not saved as a result of our ministry, it has been thrilling to see the change God has made in his life after living 78 years in sin.
We ask that you help us pray about where our next outreach will be. We typically have direction from God about where we are to begin working next before we turn over a church to its pastor. We are preparing to turn Eternal Life Baptist over to Pastor Arturo, but we do not have liberty yet regarding where to begin again. There is an area on the north side of the city that we have had in our minds for 3 years now. There is another in the south and a 3rd in the northwest that all need churches. There are many needs and opportunities; we are just looking for God’s direction and will as to where He would use us next.
Thank you for taking the time to read our monthly updates but more importantly, thank you for praying over the petitions that are made in them. We are grateful for all of you who pray for us on a regular basis.
