July, 2024
To our beloved Co-workers,
“…The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.” Joshua 24:24
We affectionately greet you, brethren, by the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, thanking you for your support toward our family, mainly in prayer. Without a doubt, it is your prayers that are allowing us to carry out our planned ministry.
The above verse has been our family text since we embraced the work of missions. We are learning to wait and obey the voice of the Lord. For our family it has been a very beautiful time of continuous service to our God.
Five months have already passed since our arrival in Punta Arenas, and the “Christian family” is growing. We have experienced the harshest stage of winter as we were covered by snow, and then ice, for more than a month. The temperature was under 6°F (the second lowest recorded temperature here) but these weather conditions were not a barrier to continue preaching the gospel of the Kingdom.
We continue with our Bible study meetings where we are doing an expository study in the Gospel according to the Apostle John. On Fridays we meet to pray at 8PM, and then we share a time for some food (called “once” in Spanish) where we talk and get to know each other a little more; this lasts until 11PM or even midnight. Then on Saturday we have our Children’s Club, advancing a Christ-centered study of the history of redemption from the Old Testament. We do all these activities in our house. Then on Sunday, we carry out worship services at a building rented by the Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Church in Chile, which is located in the center of the city.
In addition to the ministry of visiting those attending the meetings, visiting the sick, preparing Bible studies, preaching, and the Children’s Club lessons, we are carrying on with a constant work of personal evangelism, delivering Gospel tracts, and preparing our own tracts to share the gospel. Over the past five months, we have distributed more than 2,500 tracks. Along with this, we are working on the ministry to evangelize the youth of the University of Magallanes.
From July 23-26th we held our Winter Vacation Bible Club. We have been preparing materials, with almost 100 invitations distributed door-to-door in our neighborhood. We even used loudspeakers in the neighborhood, inviting people to participate. Below is a picture of this ministry.
So brethren, we were blessed with a total attendance of 17 children and 5 adults. We are happy for the work we were able to do together with two sisters from our Church: Cecilia and Carolina. We ask that you would pray that these children would be able to continue attending the Bible Club that we hold on Saturdays.
We also appreciate the visit of Joaquín Godoy, a brother from the Presbyterian Church “Genezaret” of Puerto Montt. He was able to join forces with us in directing the Lord’s Day Worship service.
During the month of July, we began preparation for the baptism of an infant, the membership of a sister, and training a candidate for eldership. Please be praying for this ministry.
The families that are attending are increasing. On Sundays we are bringing five people to our meetings, in addition to our own family, and the equipment we use in services (piano, amplifier, music stand, etc.) Due to the above, we have a need to buy a larger vehicle. We trust that God will provide according to His grace and will.
Praise:
- Our winter Vacation Bible Club
- Preparation of baptism, member and training for eldership
- Evangelism in Punta Arenas
- Attendance at church meetings
Prayer Requests: We earnestly ask you to keep us in prayer:
- For our health and that of the attendees, so that we can continue working without problems
- So that the Lord multiplies our strength and we can continue preaching His Word
- For the families of Cecilia and Carolina, so that God works salvation in them
- For the young people of the University of Magallanes, so that the Holy Spirit works a new birth in their hearts
- So that God may add to His Church those who are to be saved
- Funds for new vehicle
God is blessing His work in this city, thanks to the prayers and support of each of the brethren who faithfully bend their knees for the expansion of the powerful gospel of Jesus Christ in “the uttermost part of the earth”.
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Matamala