Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Additional Prayer Requests

The past few weeks have yielded some excellent contacts. Please pray for the following:

Sharon -- She needs to be saved but has many questions. We contacted her through our visitation program. She cares for her elderly mother and does not get out much, but the Lord allowed us to share the Gospel with her in detail. We hope to renew contact with her soon.

Andrés -- He attended our school years ago. As an adult he faces a number of problems and questions that trouble him. He came by the office today and we talked for well over an hour. He knows the Gospel, but wants to resolve certain questions. Pray that he will trust Christ soon.

Javier -- The Lord lead us to him tonight on visitation. He could have made many excuses, but the Lord had planted a seed of interest in him that caused him to want to listen. Teresa and I shared the Gospel with him and exhorted him to trust Christ.

God is working in hearts. Problems are a part of each of these stories. These difficulties are the backdrop on which the mercy and love of God shine brightly. Praise the Lord for drawing souls out of the darkness into His marvelous light.

August Prayer Letter

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. We have weathered a very busy summer filled with work and blessings. Our Christian school was able to acquire better desks for the students from another school which no longer needed these furnishings. We had to make five trips across town to move everything. The heavier furniture had to be lifted by forklift to the second floor. Those were exhausting days, but the Lord brought us through them without injury. A new coat of paint was needed on many of the walls, so that occupied several weeks.
In late June we held our Vacation Bible School. We set attendance records nearly every day and ended with a good crowd on Friday evening. Four children professed faith in Christ, and others spoke with their teachers regarding questions and decisions they needed to make.
July 5 through 9 was the week for youth and children’s camp. Churches from around the island brought over 100 campers. At least 6 salvation decisions resulted and a number of other decisions were also recorded. Praise the Lord for continuing to touch young hearts.
Our outreach program has moved into a new neighborhood, Santa Teresita. We are trying to make sure that every home in this area is contacted, so the effort will span several weeks. Some excellent contacts have resulted. Erick attended on a Thursday evening just after we spoke with him in his home. He claims to know the Lord, but he needs to grow in many areas. Sharon listened attentively as the Gospel message was explained to her. She is very open but has not yet trusted Christ.
This past Sunday morning (Aug. 15) I changed the format of the morning service to be more interactive. We had a “conversation” regarding the excuses we often present for not being involved in fulfilling the Great Commission. It was encouraging to hear people honestly express their concerns and then answer each of these from the Word of God. Our desire is to energize the church to be faithful in giving out the Word so that others may find Christ through us.
Our support has been steady until recently. Our school has been helping us financially, but the enrollment will not allow this any longer. The church continues to do what it can for our family. Also two churches that played a significant role in our support have had to discontinue their support due to financial pressures of their own. As a result our support level has declined to below 90%. Pray with us for the wisdom to adjust to these changes. We have no personal debt other than our home mortgage. Our car, though 10 years old, continues to provide faithful service. It needed several repairs over the summer, but that is much better than a car payment. These are trying days, but the Lord often works most amazingly when the needs are most pressing. May each of us be faithful to our Lord and not complain about the difficulties.
Thank you for standing by us in love, prayer, and support.