January 2026

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:6

When we began this journey 6 years ago we chose Philippians 1:6 as our theme verse because in it we were comforted by a very specific promise from God.  Our God has purposed us to a good work, that he will complete until the day of Christ Jesus.  As our sending church begins this year with the theme of focusing on the promises of God, we too think it is a great time for us to reflect.  An added bonus was that while we were celebrating the new year, we blessed with a double rainbow reminding us of another specific promise from God.  What promises in Scripture are your favorites? 

We rang in the new year with Pastor Juan Carlos and the family and had a wonderful time of celebration. It was great to be around so many faces and to learn a little bit of culture for how they celebrate the new year. Can you believe it, they actually stay up until mid-night and bring out snacks so they can stay awake longer? Our kids were cooked from swimming all day so we got to bed around 1am. It really was a blessed time of sweet fellowship for all the family.

The year came to a quick close with lots of studying and ministry wrap ups, but also some planning for the future.  We are excited to share with you some of the things we are looking forward to as we start into 2026.  We hope that this ministry update will give you some very clear things to pray for, but also encourage you in that the Lord is not done, the harvest is still very plentiful!

As many of you are aware the last several months we have spent time working on discipleship with a group in Hernandarias.  This is a city just north of us about 20 to 25 minutes that is growing rapidly.  It is our desire that in the first few months of 2026 we will start an evening Bible Study that will open the opportunity for some of those from the group to invite their family and friends.  We are asking for specific prayers for strength for the core group that has been meeting, but also for a young man and family to join in the work as the Pastor of the church.  Would you please join us in praying for the work in Hernandarias! 

Secondly, it was brought to my attention that Missionary Felix (the man whom I do most of my traveling with) and his wife, Adela, are planning to leave in June or July to begin a work in in central Paraguay.  While we are sad to see them go, we are excited to see them following the Lord into ministry.  We are praying for how we can be part of this ministry and how the Lord would use us in helping encourage our brother and sister as they go.  Will you please be praying for this opportunity now and we look forward to sharing more about this couple and the ministry that God leads them to. 

Thirdly, God has blessed us with the opportunity to connect with other churches in Paraguay and to begin to organize some conferences to help encourage local churches.  At the end of February and the beginning of March we will be traveling for about two weeks and sharing in a couple different conferences.  These will allow us to support the local pastors in their ministries and encourage the church bodies to be faithful in their local church and its ministries.  One of the desires we have is to help strengthen local churches that they would be able to send out men and women into the ministry. 

How is that for some exciting news? God is doing great things here in Paraguay and is taking the gospel to new communities. We are excited to be part of the process, but we know we do not do it alone. We want to thank you for your faithfulness in love, support and encouragement that made the 2025 year such a great success. As we continue to adapt to life in Paraguay, and the Lord continues to move us forward, we know we do not do it alone! What does 2026 have in store for you? Just as we have asked you to pray for us and the ministry in Paraguay, how can we then pray for you?