April, 2026
And He said, so is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground and should sleep and rise night and day and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself, first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. Mark 4:26-28
Dear Friends and Brethren in Christ,
Mark is the only writer of the four gospels to include this parable, and the story of the blind man whose sight came in stages, Mark 8:22-26. They remind us of both the wonder of God’s work and the patience it requires. These past months we have seen both.
First of all, we would give thanks to the Lord for another VBS. This year’s theme was “On to Victory with Jesus,” using Bible stories to illustrate the armor of the Christian soldier from Ephesians 6. Once again, the Lord gave us an abundance of workers and teachers, especially from our young people. The number of children ran between 24 and 30 each day. We are thankful for the seed of God’s Word that was sown in the hearts of these little ones. Now, much patience and prayer is needed.
Quite a few of the children that came to VBS were Venezuelan refugees. They are going through an especially difficult time now. One of our Venezuelan believers, Yealid, along with her daughter, just made the long trek back to Venezuela. Unable to cross through Peru, they went to Bolivia suffering the extreme cold of night in high altitudes. Between Ecuador and Colombia, they were detained for about six days. The baby got quite sick and had to go to the hospital. They were released and continued their journey. Thankfully, they are now home in Venezuela. We miss them, but we are thankful that Yealid found the Lord here. Please pray that she will continue to seek the Lord and that her daughter will come to know Christ early in her life.
We should also tell of several new Venezuelan children attending Sunday School. Little Rosalyn is coming faithfully since VBS, along with her mother and little sister. Sebastian is a 6-year-old, very enthusiastically learning about the Lord. His dad recently went to be with the Lord. His mom, Elimar, is bringing him and his baby brother. Melody has been having a weekly Bible study with Elimar. It is wonderful to see her growing in understanding of her faith.
We recently had a number baptized and received new members. It is a joy, but also a burden on our hearts, as we have seen some new believers dramatically fall backwards after amazing growth. Several young people, in particular, that seemed to be growing rapidly have withdrawn from our church and their interest in the things of the Lord seems to have waned. Please pray for Valentina and Bianca. Patience, and persistence in prayer will help.
Also, we want to thank the Lord for the blessings of our recent Easter Bible Conference. Messages were given on the Power of Christ in His Passion. People from our two Arica churches (ours and Pastor Jonathan’s) attended. We were hoping ones from Bolivia could come, but they were unable to do so this year. From Friday to Saturday, messages were given emphasizing Christ’s power in his determination to go to the cross, in His submission in Gethsemane and in his trial, His power on the cross, and His power in his resurrection. Sunday, we had Easter services in each church. The fellowship was wonderful and the conference was well attended with around 80 in most services. Our other churches, in the south, also congregated in regional conferences at the same time.
In April, God called home Pastor Nadir Carreño of our Smyrna church in Santiago. He was almost 94 years old. Melody and Jim had decided some time ago that when the Lord called him home, we would make every effort to attend the funeral. He and his wife, Ruth, were a team until her home-going about 10 years ago. Their home was a center for the gospel. He, better than anyone we know, maintained that balance of being a staunch defender of the faith, as well as a faithful and fervent preacher of the gospel. To us, he was always supportive. They met us at the airport when we arrived 34 years ago, and we stayed in their home. They came to Arica to support us in the early years of our ministry. They were here for the dedication of our church building, many conferences, and even for our son Jeremy’s graduation from homeschool. They were like our children’s Chilean grand-parents. The funeral was a reminder of the many lives they touched. It was especially moving when the entire family sang their chosen family theme song “May the Lord Find us Faithful” by Mac Lynch. Please pray for the Smyrna church that the Lord would provide the pastor of his choosing for them, a faithful man of God. Pray the Lord would raise up others like him, who wholly follow the Lord.
Because of our sudden trip to Santiago, Melody had to delay her plans for a quick trip to the US to visit and meet our newest granddaughter, Hosanna Renee, born to Jeremy and Daniella. After the funeral, Melody was able to make the trip, though, again, with much patience, because of traveling standby. It took about 2-3 days because of full flights, delays and changed routes. But she finally got there, and we are thankful to the Lord. Being grandparents from a distance, especially overseas, isn’t easy. But we are thankful for the blessing of our 3rd grandchild (the crown of old men, Proverbs 17:6).
The next coming events include a Northern Youth Conference, May 22-23 and then camp in July. Much work, preparation, and prayer are needed for both. Good things are happening in our youth group, but there are some who are noticeably struggling. Please, pray hard for them. We are looking forward to having elder Keith McCoy with us again for camp; he was such a blessing to have here last year.
Final plans have not been made yet, but we would like to attend the ICCC World Congress, this July, in Kenya. It would be Jim’s first trip back since he left there in 1991. He was starting to feel a little too old for the trip, but when another Pastor, over 80 years old, said he would like to go with us, Jim perked up some, feeling a little ashamed for feeling too old to make it. We would appreciate your prayers for God’s guidance, wisdom in making plans, and for His provision and protection.
Also, please pray for our daughter Debbie, as she soon finishes her 3rd year at Bob Jones University. We marvel at how the Lord has provided thus far. Please pray for her close relationship with the Lord, His direction in her life, wisdom for her senior project, provision for her final year of college, and direction in her summer plans.
We watch God work with wonder, and sometimes the process and waiting is painful. But, God is faithful. We know not how He works, but He does. He reaches and works within the heart where no one else can. How we wait for the joy of seeing enduring fruit! Thanks for praying with us.
Your servants, for Christ’s sake in Chile,
Jim and Melody Bjur