November, 2022
“… Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 19: 14
Dear brethren and friends,
We greet you in the name of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. We hope you are doing well and enjoying the blessings of the Lord with your families. We are grateful to our good heavenly Father for His care, our life, and our health. We want to extend to you our sincere thanks for your prayers and financial support; God’s blessing to each one of you.
The two of us are extremely grateful to the Lord for His faithfulness, because during the pandemic we could not have contact with the children of Cerro de la Cruz (where our church is located) because of the government restrictions. Therefore, we had to suspend the Sunday School classes. However, now that the situation is under control, and the government has removed many of the restrictions imposed, we were able to reestablish contact with the children and their families. We also began to make visits to each of their homes, encouraging them to participate in the activities that take place in our church. To the glory of God, most of the children who attended Sunday School in the past, have rejoined. There are currently twenty of them back in church once again. Janeth conducts a class every Saturday for teenagers, since we are really looking forward to encouraging the next generation of children and teens to lead the work of the Lord in the future. The classes are focused on the books of the Old Testament. There will be a Christian contest on their Bible knowledge at the end of December, and to end the year there will be a Christmas dinner for all our faithful children and teenagers.
Also, as a matter of thanksgiving is the ladies of the Women’s Society of our church, who have been meeting devotedly every Wednesday in 2022. They are faithful and active in the work of the Lord, and will have their last meeting of this year on Friday, December 16th. Women’s Society member Roxana Pozo will conduct a class on how to cook Christmas Bread, with the objective of sharing it with everyone on Sunday, December 18th, at the special Christmas program.
Thanks to our God, several families have rejoined our church services following the pandemic. However, others have decided to move away from church and the Lord; we ask you to pray for those families. Those that have been integrated back into the church are: the Cabrera Mirando family; the Inostroza Gonzales family, with their children Valentina, who is five years old, and Tomas, who is three years old; and Iris Ortega with her children Maite, who is seven years old, and Santiago, who is only eight months old.
Also we wish to mention the El Sembrador Church in Iquique. They have been a faithful testimony to the Lord. It is a great joy for Jonathan to be able to work, help, and guide them with the Word of the Lord. It also motivates him to see that many members of this church have decided to study in the online seminary, and are currently working together to grow as a church in that city. We ask each of you to continue praying for them to remain faithful in their love to God and in His work, regardless of the circumstances.
We ask prayer for,
1. The Martinez Rojas family, for the physical health of the members of this family, but especially for their spiritual lives.
2. The Christmas program, which will be held on Sunday, December 18th in the morning. It will be focused especially for the children, and in the afternoon, we will have a solemn worship.
3. Vacation Bible School, which by God’s will, we plan to conduct in February 2023.
4. Our children in the USA (Ruth Meylí, Jonathan, and Melissa Jara); that God may help them in their studies and spiritual life.
5. The health of Janeth.
6. The anniversary of the El Sembrador Church of Iquique, and for the Lord to protect Jonathan and Janeth’s travel there on December 3 and 4.
Brethren in Christ, we say goodbye for now, wishing you a beautiful Christmas and a blessed and prosperous year 2023.
“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” II Corinthians 9: 15
Your Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Rev. Jonathan, Janeth, Ruth Meylí, Jonathan Edward and Melissa Jara