Greetings! Grace and peace to you all. I hope everyone is doing well. Thank you for praying for me and for the work God is doing in Colombia and throughout the world. Prayer is a vital part of the missionary task. Thank you for holding the ropes for those of us who have gone down into the well. May the word of Christ continue to spread to every tribe, nation, people, and tongue.
This past month, I have been meeting with “Mike,” a Puinave man from Guainía, near the Venezuelan border. He, his wife, and one year old daughter were living in a super small, one room apartment near Betania Baptist Church and was able to move to a larger place for less money on the far southeastern edge of town. I have continued to meet with him to study Scripture. Pray that my visits with him and his family will be fruitful.
Please continue to pray for my friend “Ted.” He lives in a shelter where he can get some physical needs taken care of. He still deals with depression since his wife passed. I am meeting with hime once a weak. Pray that I can show him the peace that Christ can give. He recently has had surgery and seems to be doing well with that. I have begun to study through Ephesians with him.
Please continue for the Wounaan. I am meeting with him every week. I am study Ephesians with “Silas” and some of the other Wounaan as well. “Silas” still has several medical issues, but is doing well and loves the Lord. Pray that the Word will do its work in the lives of the Wounaan.
Please continue to pray for the Embera (Katio and Chami). Life has been difficult for them. They are in need of hope. Pray that I will be able to establish consistent contact with them that they may hear the hope the Christ can give. I have recently started to teach some English to one Katío man. I would like to get others involved as well. I pray that this will provide open doors for many gospel conversations so that many Katío will hear the gospel and believe.
In many of my visits, a man from Betania Baptist Church has been accompanying me when he is free to do so. Pray for both of us and that others will also be able to contribute to the work as well.
Again, thank you for your prayers. Prayer is vital to the missionary task.
May each one of you be blessed with the grace found in Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
1 Finally, brothers, pray for us,
that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored,
as happened among you,
2 and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men.
For not all have faith.
3 But the Lord is faithful.
He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.
4 And we have confidence in the Lord about you,
that you are doing and will do the things that we command.
5 May the Lord direct your hearts
to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
In his letters, Paul often instructed the churches to pray. In this second Thessalonian correspondence, Paul exhorts us to pray that the Word of the Lord would speed ahead and be honored. In missions today, this too should be our prayer, that the gospel of Christ would spread rapidly and be glorified. We ourselves have heard the Word, and we should desire to see it spread to the ends of the earth, that many would hear and believe.
Paul also exhorts us to pray that we may be delivered from wicked men for not all have faith. In fact, many actively oppose the gospel and seek to persecute Christians. We should pray for the persecuted church, for our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan and throughout the world who are confronted with much persecution. And We know that even those who persecute the church are not beyond the power of the gospel to save. May the gospel speed ahead and be even glorified among those who currently fight against it.
Moreover, we can be confident that our Lord remains faithful. He is faithful to His promise of salvation for those who believe. He is faithful to His promise to be with us to the end of the age (Mat 28:18-20). He remains faithful when we are faithless (2 Tim 2:13). He is faithful in the midst of hardships, tribulation, and persecution. We can be confident that He who began a good work in us and among us will be faithful to complete it (Phil 1:6).
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