Family Update
We arrived back in El Salvador on July 17. What a great joy it was to be back in our church pulpit and with our beloved church! We are grateful to our faithful church members for doing a phenomenal job in continuing on with every aspect of the work during our absence.
While we were in the United States, the Lord allowed me to preach every week in different churches in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and North Carolina. Each visit with the different pastors and churches was of great encouragement to our family. We saw several people come to Christ through personal soul winning and altar calls. God has been so good to us.
We enjoyed six weeks of spiritual refreshment at our home church, First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. While there, Tammie and Grace were able to attend the Ladies’ Conference; we attended Brenda’s college graduation; the WMS held a beautiful bridal shower for Brenda; we audited a college class on marriage with Brenda and AJ; we went on some sightseeing activities with our beloved Dr. and Mrs. Dan Siemer; we spent some time with our field service director, Bro. Jim Belisle; and we were assisted in making a ministry presentation video. Each and every person who helped us, reached out to us, and encouraged us was used of God to help this missionary stay his course.
Our time in North Carolina in preparation for the wedding was of great blessing. We attended Bailey’s Grove Baptist Church where Grace was able to experience two firsts: Vacation Bible School led by the Walker family (It was phenomenal!) and her first youth camp. Grace made several formative decisions, and we are so happy that she was able to enjoy these two special activities.
Ministry Update
While we were gone:
• 150 people were saved in the local-church ministry of Santa Ana.
• 28 visitors attended the weekly services.
• One person followed the Lord in believer’s baptism.
• One of our Bible institute graduates started a new church in Metapán, a city about 45 minutes from us.
• Our Christian school received the final paperwork authorizing us to operate as an accredited school by the ministry of education.
• One new family began going out weekly with our soul-winning group.
• We got a new song director.
• Two new children ministry workers joined the ranks.
• A new children’s ministry called King’s Kids Club was started.
Future Ministry Events
August 4 – Our ladies’ soul-winning group, Las Sembradoras, starts soul-winning training and ministry for the first time since the lockdown was lifted. Please pray for new soul-winning ladies, teens, and young girls to participate.
August 10-11 – A missions group from the First Baptist Church of Hammond and FBMI will be visiting us.
September 27-30 – We will be hosting a Fires of Evangelism (Fuegos de Evangelismo) Conference in our church for pastors of Central America. Please pray for pastors to come and be challenged in their labor for the Lord.
October 25-November 9 – We will be taking a trip to West Virginia and North Carolina for a Missions Conference and the birth of our second grandbaby.
November 29-December 3 – Youth Camp
December 6-10 – Vacation Bible School
Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and financial support, without these, we would not be able to serve the Lord where we are. Please continue praying for the work here to grow and for God to use us as He sees fit.
By the time you receive this letter, I will have returned from preaching for the anniversary service in a church in Honduras. Angel Ortiz, a graduate from the Bible institute here in the work in Santa Ana, recently took the pastorate of his wife’s home church after their pastor passed away last year. We will be celebrating the church anniversary and ordaining 11 men into the ministry. Praise and glory to God!
Joyfully in His service,
Henry, Tammie, and Grace Gonzalez
