church – Loucks 2 Paraguay

July 2025

For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100:5

The Month came and went faster than we expected, but we are very thankful for how the goodness of God was revealed to us in the month. From visitors from home, to Missionary Training Camp, and exploring new ministry opportunities, I can say that we are full and blessed.

Many of you recall that we shared of the surprise visit of my (Jared’s) Mom and Brother, David. We really had a great time together and enjoyed many wonderful opportunities of making memories. One of the things that was on my mom’s list for coming was to meet the people who had taken us in, but also to walk some of the paths that we walk regularly. It was great introducing parts of our new family. They even had the opportunity to serve in a couple different ways. David was asked to share with the Christian school from his experience working with Kids with Autism. Mom was given the opportunity to teach one Saturday in Club de Niños, and that too was a real blessing. They served above and beyond what they were sent to do!

Every July our church hosts a Missionary Training Camp. Last year it was the first big ministry we were asked to be part of. This year I was given the topic “The Responsibility of the Local Church in Missions.” It was great sharing not just from Acts but also from personal experience. Missions does not exist without the Local Church. It was great teaching alongside fellow missionaries serving from Urugay and Bolivia. After three days of camp the team got to put their training to practical use. They got to present ministries in two other cities and share in Club de Niños on Saturday. It was great to see and hear testimony of God working in people’s lives, opening hearts toward missionary service.

This month we also got to look into some future ministry opportunities and we have begun praying that the Lord would lead. One area of opportunity is in the city of Hernandarias. This city is just 20 minutes north of us. A few families from the church travel from hernandarieas every week to be with us on Sunday. We have begun praying about starting a Bible Study group among these families to strengthen them as we pray about the future planting of a church.

Another opportunity we are praying about is how to help a small local church in the town of O’Leary just an hour from us. There is a small Baptist church with no pastor, and we are praying about how we can offer some support including helping them to find a pastor. Would you please pray with us for these opportunities.

As for coming events we don’t have anything big on the radar, except for helping plan for better organization for future events. I would also like to take a weekend trip to go connect with Pastor Mancuello again in Encarnacion and see the new work that has begun in the city of Pillar. Missionary Felix and I are praying to make that trip sometime in August to allow me to know a little more about the ministry as well as serve the leadership in any way we can. Would you please be in prayer for these opportunities.

Again, we cannot thank you all enough for allowing us to serve the people of Paraguay. If you want to see a little more of what is going on in the ministry, please don’t forget to watch our video on YouTube. Missions is impossible without the local church!

Now how can we pray for you?

The Loucks Family

Kids Corner:

Nana and Uncle David came to be with the kids, see into our lives and be part of our ministry for just a short while. Although their visit was short it provided a much needed refresh for all of us. The kids especially enjoyed sharing a little bit of our lives in Paraguay!

Resurrection Sunday in Paraguay

“For I delievered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”

1st Corinthians 15:3-4

Our hope is found in the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour. As we reflect on the abundant grace of God in our lives, we look to powerful truths and point us to our future resurrection. If Christ had not risen from the grave, then our hope is in vain. Praise the Lord for the concurring of death and defeating the grave!

The update is coming to you a few days later than planned. Every time I sat down to write an update something came up and my attention was drawn to another task. Wither it was helping with sick children, going to visit Missionary Felix in the hospital or pausing to enjoy Workers Day with fellow believers. All things of great importance and needing their own attention.

As I sat at my desk the other day to get some things off my list accomplished I saw my neighbor walk by my window. I heard a clap (they clap more than knock) outside the door and so I went to investigate what was going on. Well, Chris asked if I we wanted to spend time with some friends that had offered to bring some meat over and hang out. That always sounds like a good idea if you ask me. He told his wife to finish making the plans, but the other family was already on their way over! We spent the day making deeper relationships, learning more culture, and embracing in fellowship!

Now back to our resurrection Sunday! So much goes into the celebration of Holy Week. We were able to take part in some traditional Chipa making which made for some great memories. Put this on your list of things to try when you come and visit!

We were also blessed to get away for a couple days and enjoy a vacation. It seems like Paraguayans take a lot of time for vacations, but they honestly use every moment they have to get away and be together. We are learning where we fit in for our family vacations and make opportunities to learn and explore new places. The planning of this vacation fit right in for a little ministry service as well.

We had planned to be near Pastor Juan Carlos Mancuellos church in Encarnacion and had planned to attend his church for the Resurrection Morning. We had not planned that God would use this as an opportunity to serve the brothers and sisters there in Encarnacion. The Sunday Prior Pastor Mancuello and his family were on their way home from Ciudad del Este and were in a head on car accident. Pastor Mancuello, his wife and grandson all ended up in the hospital with rather minor injuries. The drive of the other vehicle however did not survive the incident.

I offered to fill the pulpit for Sunday knowing that Pastor Mancuello would need time to recover and that he might be in jail for a few days (when someone dies in an accident normally the driver of the vehicle is kept until the trial). Praise the Lord we were able to be with them and open the Word of God together. Pastor Mancuello was also at the church service with his wife. We had a wonderful time celebrating the resurrection of Christ together before our trip back to Ciudad del Este.

Club de Ninos is still going strong, and we appreciate your prayers as we share in this ministry. Please continue to pray for these kids, most of which are from very rough backgrounds. Also, we ask that you continue to pray as we develop leadership in this program.

As you know one of our reasons for coming to Paraguay was to help in training up leadership. This is one of the ministries we are able to work with in developing leadership skills in others.

I feel like there is so much to share for the last month, but maybe we will pause it right here and encourage you to check out our video update. The month of April sure was busy and full of great blessings! Many reminders of why we are here and encouragement as we move forward.

Now how can we pray for you? As we round out 11 months of ministry here in Paraguay we have so many blessings to look back on and know that we are not alone in this journey.

Jaha Paraguay Pe!

The Loucks Family

KIDS CORNER:

Temperance turned 13 years old on the 4th of May! It has been such a great joy to watch her learn and grow through these last few years of ministry. If you know Temperance, then you know she likes her books and enjoys just time to herself. Over the last couple months, she has been coming out of her shell a little more and it is noticed by the Paraguayans! We are blessed to have her on our team serving the people of Paraguay.

February 2025

“Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.”

Psalm 111:1

As the month of February was approaching, we greatly anticipated all of the church body being back from vacation to be under the roof together again, worshiping our God! This summer break (December-Januaray) gave me a real appreciation for the unity of the body. Back at home it is normal for people to travel during the summer season, but having over 80% of the church missing from Sunday services was a real change. We are thankful now that school is started back up to have the church body back together starting another new year.

With a new year comes new opportunities. Before Pastor Juan Carlos left for vacation he asked if I would consider getting my Biblical Counseling Certificate with the long-term goal of being able to help Pastors in Paraguay learn to counsel their flocks Biblically. With this in mind I began doing some research and have already started doing some reading toward a certificate in Biblical Counseling. We think that this will be a great tool to be used in two direct forms. First off in discipling men and women for future ministry. Helping them develop the mindset of the sufficiency of Scripture will go a long way in preparing for future ministry. Secondly, we think this will be a great tool to connect and aid other pastors in Paraguay as they tend their flocks.

The kids got a few weeks off for Summer but most of them were antsy to get back to it again. They surpassed day 100 and are all doing well in their studies. Now that we have established a routine it is easier to keep up with each of them and their needs as the continue to study. Also, this week they started tutoring again. Their tutor Noelia took some time off to spend Christmas with family but then also to help out at a Christian camp for a month. We look forward to hearing all her fun stories as we have time.

They kids are also doing a great job making friends. They have all made connections with at least one kid their age. It is great to see them use their Spanish in communicating, but an added blessing is that many of the kids in the church speak English. While we would like to see the kids continue advancing and using Spanish, it is a blessing to see them have connections in the church.

February always brings us to remember the road God used to bring us to Paraguay. Those of you who have followed the journey remember that we sold our home in February 2020 that would allow us to pay off all our debts and prepare for the mission field.

You also recall that LuVerna was born just two weeks before we had to move out of our home. While we take time this month to reflect on all that God has done, it was a great joy to take time to celebrate our LuVerna too. She just loves a little extra attention!

With most of the church family back and schools starting back up we will be ready to kick off into another year of ministry. This year we are hoping to continue being part of some previous ministry projects, but also to start working more focused on leadership development. After meeting with Pastor Juan Carlos and Pastor Sergio and seeing their vision for the church body, we can start to map out some goals for this year and maybe even the following year. But as we know Proverbs 16:9 states, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” and we put our full confidence in this truth.

Once again, we want to thank you all for your faithfulness in Love and Support. God has truly blessed us with a great cloud of support around us in the ministry and we are blessed. Now how can we pray for you?

Jaha Paraguay Pe!

The Loucks Family

January 2025

“The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Luke 19:10

As we consider the birth of Jesus Christ we also consider the reason for his coming. The Son of God, born in flesh, laid in a manger, was on a rescue mission for the souls of the lost. We have such a great reason to remember the birth of Christ, not just on the 25th of December, but on every day of the year. I once was lost, but praise God I have been found.

We did not really know what to expect for our first Christmas in Paraguay. Over the last several years our Christmas traditions have had to be flexible due to traveling for deputation and our time in language school. We looked forward to this Christmas season and the opportunity to incorporate some of our new culture into our celebration.

We traded in winter coats and snow caps for Flip flops and Sunscreen. We forgot about a turkey or ham and went right for some beef and pork. Instead of sitting by the fire to stay warm, we turned up the A/C to cool off. A Subtropical Christmas was going to be just a little different.

We were warned that it was summer, and this is the season for vacations. Before everyone else hit the road we were blessed to get away for a few days to just put up our feet and relax. Shortly after arriving back at home everyone else took off for their vacations, and most of them will be gone for a couple weeks. Things slow down at church, because most of the church body travel back to home (wherever that might be) for Christmas and New Years.

While some of the ministries slowed down, we got a little busier. One of the things that has helped keep us busy is being able to socialize with new people. On a few occasions we have had some new faces come to the door which has added to our cultural adaption. I was also asked to help fill in with preaching for a couple weeks in January so that Pastors could travel for some family time. You can find that video below. Note: I did preach in Spanish.

As we have begun into the New Year, we are looking forward to what God has in plans for us. We plan to meet with Pastor Juan Carlos and Pastor Sergio about what is next on the radar for ministry. In the meantime, we will continue working with men in the church and helping prepare them for ministries in the church. The discipleship of men into leadership rolls has been a focus point for us and our time here in Paraguay.

We are very thankful for your faithfulness in praying for us as we serve the people of Paraguay. As we progress in language and culture we look back and are reminded to give thanks. Hard to believe that we set out for deputation ministry in January 2021 and how quickly time has passed. Daily we are reminded of the great cloud of people that hold us up in prayers and are humbled by this truth. We pray for you also and would ask that you send us a note and let us know how we can pray for you.

Let’s go to Paraguay!

The Loucks Family

September 2024 Ministry Update

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Psalm 57:9-10

As I sit to write this ministry update, I am reminded of the abundant mercy of God. It was a lesson I taught a couple weeks ago to the young adults of the church. I was nervous to share that night because it would be my first time teaching in Spanish, but I was amongst friends. The thing that made it even easier was that the mercy of God was present in the moment I would share. I knew it was with me and the Spirit was guiding me as we opened the Word of God together. What a blessing it was to have that time exploring the greatness of God’s mercy and being able to reflect on how that mercy is portrayed in our lives. We have the opportunity to live out our lives sharing and reflecting that mercy amongst the world. It is a great responsibility we bear but one that honors our God.

This month I had the amazing opportunity of joining a group of guys to go help secure a church building down south in Encarnacion. The testimony of Pastor Juan Carlos Mancuello was of huge impact in my life my first trip in Paraguay. In 2005 he was serving as a deacon in the church and in 2007 the church sent him to plant a church in Encarnacion. A lot has happened over those years and they were finally able to purchase property and begin working on the building. The first phase is about complete and the men from Ciudad del Este took up offerings and raised some funds to put bars up around the windows and doors.

The first wave of the team left on Friday and began setting up and getting organized. The others left early Saturday morning and upon arrival we got right to work. It was a long day but all to the glory of God!

It was really amazing to watch as a group of guys gathered around each other for this project. We prayed together, we laughed together, and we worked hard together. The following weekend a few of the guys were given the opportunity to share of their experience with the church. One of which is a new believer and is growing spiritually. He remarked how the unity is something he had never experienced before. The other man mentioned that it was humbling to be around a group of guys and to be able to serve the Lord in this way.

The testimony of this ministry opportunity impacted many people. Men from the group that went, men from the church we went to serve alongside, and also men from another area church that came to see what was going on. They all exclaimed how they wish that the men in their church would get together for something like this.

This month I was also given the opportunity to share from the Word of God with the youth and young adults. As I mentioned one evening I was able to do it in Spanish which was one of the most difficult things I have done to date, as I shared 99% in Spanish and 1% in Guarani. While learning Guarani is not the focus, we have picked up a few words here and there and as we pick up more it will help in communication. I know the time will come when I will be able to preach in Spanish, but baby steps are very important for right now.

Pictured above was from the youth and young adult camp that I was asked to speak at. It was a busy few days but the Lord was good and provided for a great time of serving together. I shared 2 messages with both groups and then we did a question answer time. Our theme was “Our Purpose in God’s Plan” looking at 1st Corinthians 6:19-20. Please pray for these students as they learn to lay aside the old nature and put on Christlikeness.

Mommy and the kids do not just sit around while Daddy is away. They get treated with the best care and were blessed to go do some exploring in the city center. They were gifted some money to go by something and they were eager to go see what there was. Tia Lillian and Tia Julia take the greatest care of us and are always there to help out while I am away! Lots of smiles and lots of memories!

Other Ministry opportunities include helping with the Saturday morning kids club and Kathleen has been asked to make some goodies to help raise funds for the upcoming ladies conference. All of these things add up to keeping us pretty busy, but the Lord is good, and our hearts are very full. We continue to be amazed that the Lord would call us here to serve amongst such a great group of people and we thank God for each of you for your part in this ministry.

Prayer Requests: 1) Please pray for all of us that we would stay healthy. 2) Pray that we would maintain a good healthy balance of priorities. 3) Pray for the response of the men to opportunities to serve within the church as we develop leadership.

It has been just over three months since arriving in Paraguay and it has been a blessing to watch our kids thrive in their new environment. Temperance has been working hard on practicing her Spanish and trying to connect with more young ladies. She is very thankful for all the people she has brought into our lives to help care for us during this time! Would you please pray for her to make more friends and for her to really connect with the young ladies.

Thank you for being part of the ministry in Paraguay and for your love, encouragement and support that allows us to be here. Please continue to pray as we seek to serve the Lord as under rowers in ministry! Now, how can we pray for you?

Jaha Paraguay Pe!

The Loucks Family