Here is our most recent update for the third quarter of 2024, available to download as a PDF.
In the service of the King of Kings!
There is nothing better in life than serving God and God’s people!
We also want to thank you, our faithful prayer and financial partners, for participating in the LORD’s work here in Chile. It is our privilege to serve as your ambassadors here in South America.
1. Hopefully the cold is past
We’ve had some really cold months.
The Chilean winter stretches from about April until September, more or less, and we’ve definitely felt the cold. Thanks to the wonderful gift from one of our supporting churches last year, we’ve been able to reduce our heating expenses somewhat, but for most people, sourcing dry fire wood is a constant struggle.
The weather warming up is also going to make it easier to get out as a church and get to know the neighbors. We already had a barbecue and public ministry outing in July where we preached in the main plaza and passed out several hundred tracts to passersby. Please pray for our next public ministry event, planned for the 31st of this month (August).
2. God-given increase
New visitors and new believers.
Since our last letter, we have been exceedingly blessed in seeing the LORD work in hearts and three young people make a public profession of faith in Christ. I met two young Venezuelan barbers, Favián and Alejandro, at a barbershop, and when they began to come to church regularly Favián brought his girlfriend Deise (pronounced “Daisy”). Since then, all three have publicly professed faith in Christ, and have showed a fervent interest in learning the Bible. They are currently studying through our 20 lesson discipleship program, and are interested in the Bible Institute in the future. Please pray for their spiritual growth as we serve the LORD together.
Additionally, various members of Alejandro’s family have attended services and displayed interest, and Gabriel, mentioned in our last letter, has also returned a few times and has indicated his intention to continue with us. Rodrigo, who has been considering “jumping ship” for a good while, is just about ready to make the switch; while the delay isn’t to my preference, it shows dedication and seriousness in that he wants to finish up his commitment in the “church” where they currently serve.
At least one other family is about to join the church as well, so the LORD is sending people our way after a long four years of little visible results to our labor. At this rate of increase, we may need to seek a new meeting place or at least modify our current location. Please continue to pray with us as we seek to glorify God and serve others.
3. Special Services
August has been a “special” month.
While we normally have one long Sunday morning service and a Wednesday Bible study each week, for the month of August we added a special Sunday lunch/afternoon service with a special focus on the Spanish Bible’s history, textual basis, and other related issues (the videos in Spanish are available on the church FB page: fb.com/elfaro.osorno).
The whole church has pitched in with excitement to provide food, cleanup, and other help, and we’ve had special speakers so far this month: Gerardo from our church has preached twice, and we had Bro. J.D. Young, missionary to Spain out of our home church, preach over a video call one Sunday. The response has been excellent, with everyone extremely excited to participate and learn more about their Bible and its history. We will finish the month with a big public ministry outing focusing on our church neighborhood (with a barbecue, of course). Watching everyone work together has been a huge blessing.
We would like to once again thank all of our faithful prayer and financial supporters for participating in the LORD’s work here in Southern Chile. Please see the other side (or second page) for contact information and some photos of what has been going on here.
In Christ:
Vince, Kathie, Nathan, James, Asa, and Elizabeth LaRue
No responses yet