July 2024

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

Matthew 28:19

The great commission is a calling for all Christians to service. This was the theme of the missionary training camp that we were blessed to be part of this month. The focus was on training up youth and young adults for the ministry of Evangelism as it falls under the umbrella of Discipleship. While we would agree that some are called to be Evangelists, we know that all are commanded to “being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you”. This means that you and I are called to be ready to share the gospel. I challenged the group with being able to share your testimony in three minutes. We have a lot of three minute opportunities, but what would we say given the opportunity? I challenge you to do the same, take a few minutes and think through and put to mind what would you say given a three-minute opportunity with a clerk at the grocery store.

Missionary Training Camp:

Winter has set in here in Paraguay and just like in the states they had a couple weeks off from school. Imagine taking your break from homework or even asking for time off from work to spend 3 days sitting in classes on evangelism and then spending the remainder of your break applying what you have learned in service. I think in total there were over 70 that took part at the camp this year and it was a great joy to be part of. I was able to share from the Word of God on 1) Defining Evangelism 2) Looking at Persecution and 3) What Motivates us to Evangelism. The students were then encouraged in practical application through other classes: Apologetics, Personal Evangelism, Discipleship and Counseling, Painting Evangelism, and Puppets and Skits. It was a packed three days of learning but still many opportunities for fun!

Following the three days we then went back home and took part in a really great ministry opportunity at our home church. Vista Missions is an agency focused on providing humanitarian services in partnership with local churches to help spread the gospel through providing medical services. Vista Missions is not a stranger here in Ciudad del Este they have had a long-standing relationship with our ministry partners for many years and have made several trips to Paraguay. It was an amazing opportunity to see the youth and young adults apply what they learned by sharing the gospel with individuals before they were permitted to attend the vision clinic.

The impact of this ministry is long lasting as many souls from the community professed faith in Jesus Christ. Not all who heard the gospel received the good news, but we do have great contact information for theme and will continue to till the ground. For those that professed faith in Jesus Christ, please pray that we would be faithful in making disciples.

We are now wrapping up our month with time at home getting caught up on emails and preparing for what is next. Now that things are slowing down we are going to be able to focus more time on emails, preparing to purchase a vehicle, and planning for future ministry. We look forward to sitting down with our ministry partners and start drawing up a plan to restart the Bible Institue and start looking through material. Exciting things on the horizon!

Praise and Prayer: Please praise the Lord for a successful camp. We will be posting a couple of videos about the camp and then about the vista missions ministry. Again, it was a great time of serving the Lord and affecting lives with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Please pray for us in our faithfulness to continue to make contact with those who professed faith in Jesus Christ. We have a great opportunity but also responsibility. Please pray for the man at the roasted chicken stand. I do not know his name yet, but we have been purchasing one chicken every Sunday after church. We walk by his shop almost daily and he greets these foreigners with a great smile! We have begun to pray for how we can share Christ with him. Also, please pray for us as we begin the process of looking for a car. It can be a long process and we are not in a big hurry, but it would be a blessing to have a vehicle of our own.