Last summer while my wife was riding in a taxi cab, she gave a Gospel tract to the driver and invited him to church. He promised her that he would visit the church. A few weeks later, he showed up at church, dropped off Lacia, his girlfriend, and then took off.
We started follow-up visits to their home on a regular basis after Lacia’s first visit. During one of our visits, we gave Lacia a presentation of the Gospel, and she trusted Christ as her Saviour! She continued visiting our church over the next few months. In early December, she called me and said, “Pastor, Craig and I would like to get married.” We set the date, and they got married! The next week she said to me, “Pastor, Craig and I would like to be baptized.” I spent some time talking to Craig about his salvation, and he trusted Christ as his personal Saviour also! The next Sunday (the first Sunday in the new year), they were both baptized.
We are so proud of them and the example that they are setting for many others in our community. As a result of their decisions, two other couples at the church are now planning their weddings.
The Saturday night before Craig and Lacia’s baptisms, I told the church that there would be a baptism on Sunday. It so happened that God was already preparing Jadian’s heart for the next step in her spiritual life. You see, Jadian was one of three young adults who had gotten saved at our Youth Fellowship a few weeks earlier, but she was not decisive on being baptized as yet. The following day as I announced the baptism of Craig and Lacia, Jadian publicly declared that she would also like to be baptized! She was the third person to be baptized on the first day of the new year.
God has been blessing tremendously. We have doubled our church-wide evangelism efforts by adding another day for soul winning. As a result, we are seeing increased salvations in our ministry.
God has increased the number of nursery-aged children in the church, forcing us to make accommodations for them. Our 40’ X 30’ auditorium does not have much room to add a nursery. We had to move out the Primary Sunday School Department and convert their classroom into a nursery. That, however, opened another can of worms, since that room is the only other room the church has besides the auditorium. The primary class will therefore have to join the teen classes outdoors. We will be setting up tents for temporary housing until we are able to construct proper classrooms.
Since God has not yet opened the doors for us to enter into India, we are seeking to plant additional churches on this our current mission field. Please pray for God’s direction and leadership in the matter.
Thank you for your faithfulness, love, and continued support to us and our ministry. A special thanks to those who remembered us over the Christmas season by sending us cards, gifts, and extra support. Thank you so much. You have been an incredible blessing to our family and ministry.
Prayer Requests
Purchase of church property we are currently leasing
Spiritual and physical health of our people
Ministry growth
Purchase of church property we are currently leasing
Spiritual and physical health of our people
Ministry growth
Missionary #6703
