January 2022 Update

Happy New Year! I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family celebrating the incarnation of our Lord in whom God has poured out more mercy and grace than we could ever have imagined. May we ever be mindful as to why the Word became flesh. 

 

Thank you for praying for me and for the work God is doing in Colombia and throughout the world. Prayer is a crucial part of the missionary task. Pray that the word of Christ would continue to speed ahead and be glorified throughout the world. 

In December, I was able to make a short visit to the States to spend time with family for Christmas. It was good to be able to see my family and take a break from my life in Bogota for a week. 

I am continuing to meet with “Mike,” a Puinave man and with his wife and almost 2 year old daughter. Life is difficult for them as they try to eke out a living. They have lived in several places throughout the city and are currently seeking another place to live due to security issues they've faced where they are now. Pray that God will give me to wisdom I need to minister to him and his family. 

I am also meeting with a Wounaan family once a week. We have begun to study First Peter together. At times, it’s just me and “Silas,” and sometimes others are there too. In my most recent visit I was able to reconnect with a Wounaan man whom I haven't seen in several years. I hope I will be able to visit with him some more. Pray that the Word will do its work to save the lost and sanctify believers. 

Continue to pray for the Embera Katío and Embera Chamí. Right now, there are a few thousand Embera groups living in two city parks, one is near downtown, the other just outside of town. Please pray that God will give me the wisdom needed to minister to them during this difficult time. Pray for the families of "Eli" and "Levi" in particular. They are the one with whom I have had the most interaction. Pray that I can effectively communicate the hope of the gospel. 

Please continue to pray that I can grow a team of people to help me in the work. I am hoping that I can find Colombian believers to help me. Some from Betania Baptist Church have helped in the past, but it is difficult to find people who have time free to accompany me on my visits. There are new missionaries who have recently arrived in Bogota who will be focusing on indigenous work. They have slightly different emphases as I, but we should both be able to help each other out in our day to day work. Pray for us as we seek to make plans for the new year in how to go about reaching the Colombian indigenous peoples in Bogota. Pray that God will give us the wisdom we need to communicate the gospel to those whom we meet. Pray that the Word would speed ahead and be honored.  

Again, thank you for your prayers. Pray that the Name of Christ would be great among the nations.  

Psalm 117

Praise the LORD, all nations!

Sing His praises, all peoples!

For His steadfast love toward us is great,

And the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.

Praise the LORD!

This short psalm is a concise summary of the entire book of Psalms. It begins and ends with "Praise the LORD!" It is addressed to the nations and to all peoples, calling them to sing praises to God for his love and faithfulness. God's love is great towards us. He is faithful in all of his promises, especially to his promise of a Savior first given after the Fall (Gen 3:15) and continued throughout redemptive history as he makes covenantal promises to his people. This psalm shows us that God's steadfast love extends to the ends of the earth and includes every tribe, nation, people, and tongue who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb (Rev 5:9; 7:9). 

 

Toward the end of his letter to the church at Rome, Paul cites from this psalm to show that Christ has come so that the nations would glorify God for his lovingkindness (Rom 15:11). Paul wrote Romans in part ask that the church in Rome might help him in his missionary endeavors (Rom 15:24). The church must be committed to the great commission. Our praise to God and prayers to him should seek to advance the gospel of Christ to all people groups. Let us praise the Lord for his great love in sending Jesus to die for the sins of the world (John 1:29) and be encouraged by his faithfulness to all of his promises (1 Thes 5:24; 2 Tim 2:13). Praise the LORD!