December 2025 Update

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying time with family over the Christmas season. Thank you for your prayers and support. They are greatly appreciated. Thank you for praying for the displaced indigenous work in Bogota. Please continue to pray that the Word of Christ would speed ahead and be honored and that the gospel would advance unhindered among the people groups of Colombia and throughout the world. Missionary work is hard. And our Lord has promised to be with us as we go to the nations. We trust that God will use His Word to change lives as we proclaim the gospel to the nations.

Please continue to pray for the indigenous living in the parks and shelters. Pray for our visits as we teach Bible stories from God’s Word and proclaim the gospel of our Lord. Pray that hearts would be opened to receive the Word and that people would look to Christ for hope. Pray for us as we strategize for the new year. Pray that God would give us wisdom as we plan and in how to meet the material needs of the people in a way that is truly beneficial.

Pray for my other visits too. Pray for me as I visit “Silas” and the Wounaan. Pray for the Wounaan church that it would grow to become a strong, healthy body that reaches out to the other Wounaan around them. Pray for my visits with “Mike” and his family. Pray for my visits with them as we pray and read the Word together.

Pray that we can help mobilize local churches to get involved in the indigenous work. We need more Colombian believers to come work alongside us. The task is huge. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers.

Pray for me as I learn one of the indigenous languages. I am looking for a language helper. My previous one left Bogota. Learning another language is hard work, but it is worth it to be able to proclaim the truth of the gospel in the heart language of the people. Their Spanish is often low, so it is difficult to get into anything deep without the use of their own language. We have a few Bible stories recorded in their  language, but being able to speak it will go a long way.

Again, thank you for your prayers. Pray for the displaced indigenous. They are living hopeless lives. But there is real hope in the gospel. May those who walk in darkness see the great light and hope that is found in Jesus. Pray for more laborers. Pray that we can train those laborers to work with indigenous effectively. Pray for clear communication of the gospel. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ. May you each have a wonderful Christmas as we celebrate the incarnation of our Lord. And may we keep in mind why He came—to save His people from their sins. And that is why we go to the nations.

We know this passage is prophesying of Christ. God has told us so through Matthew (2:6). Micah foretold that Christ would be born in the small town of Bethlehem. Our Lord wasn't born in a place that suggests power or glory but in the seemingly insignificant, obscure town of Bethlehem. God often works that way in order to display His own glory (cf. 1 Cor 1:26-31). A small, country church may seem insignificant in the eyes of the world. But if the Word is being faithfully preached week after week, something truly glorious is going on. A missionary going into shelters to teach a small handful of indigenous people about Christ may seem insignificant, but the kingdom of God is being extended to the ends of the earth by such means.

Micah also tells us that Christ will shepherd His people in the strength of the LORD (5:3). And indeed He is the Good Shepherd who calls His sheep by name and lays down His life for them (John 10:11, 15). His rule shall be to the ends of the earth (5:3; Isa 45:22)). In John 10 we see that the Good Shepherd has other sheep [the Gentiles] and will bring all the sheep (both Jews and Gentiles believers) into one sheepfold  under one Shepherd. His kingdom extends to the ends of the earth. His brings salvation to every tribe, nation, people, and tongue (John 11:51-52; Rev 5:9; 7:9).

How does His kingdom go forth to the ends of the earth? Through the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Through gospel proclamation. That is why we go to the nations preaching Christ (Rom 10:13-17). Where Christ is preached, there the kingdom of God is, a kingdom which cannot be shaken (Heb 12:28). Micah says that Christ is our peace (5:5). It is through Him alone that we have true peace with God that passes all understanding (Rom 5:1; Phil 4:7). Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased. So fear not! A Savior has been born in Bethlehem, the city of David, who is Christ the Lord. And His birth is good news of great joy for all people (Luke 2:10-14).