Happy New Year everyone! We pray that you find yourselves in the joy of the Lord as you serve Him where you are. We have had such a blessed first month of this new year, as we have seen God moving in the hearts of many of those we have been able to come into contact with.
We started out the new year with Pastor Serviss and Bible Baptist Church of Las Vegas, Nevada. We believe that it was the Lord’s will for our family to be with them, for God used us to be a blessing and an encouragement to them. On Monday evening, we had a great time of fellowship with the teenagers, sharing our testimonies and sharing how God has been working in our lives while on deputation. My wife and I were very impressed with the teens, and we are excited to hear what God will do in their lives.
From Las Vegas we traveled the rest of the way to Marina, California, for a Missions Conference at Central Coast Baptist Church. We were blessed to hear some great messages from the other missionaries. Jeffrey made a new best friend with Missionary J.J. Spillman to Ukraine. During our soul winning on Friday and Saturday, we were able to lead a young man named Carlos and a brother and sister named Abraham and Dana to place their trust in Jesus Christ!
After the Missions Conference, we headed to Stockton, California, to be with Great Valley Baptist Church. We had the opportunity to share our burden for the lost across East Africa and to be a part of their Nursing Home Ministry between services. Our kiddos had a good time singing, visiting, and listening to stories. While in Stockton, my family and I did some door knocking in a few apartment complexes. There we were blessed to see a teenage girl named Ellesse and a boy named Demartae come to place their faith in Christ alone. Later in the week, we went back out to knock on some more doors and met a young couple that had just moved into the area. After going through the Gospel with Ahmad, he looked to his girlfriend and asked her what she thought. Praise the Lord! I was then able to witness to her as well, and after going through the Scriptures with her, they both came to call upon the Lord as their personal Saviour!
We ended our month at Arlington Baptist Church in El Cerrito, California. We enjoyed the fellowship with other missionaries, and we’re highly encouraged by the heart that Arlington Baptist Church had for missions and for reaching the lost in their own city. Thank you, ABC of El Cerrito, for having us with you for your Missions Conference. Our family enjoyed soul winning with some of the folks as well. While out on the streets, we had many people say they needed Christ as their Saviour but would not make a decision at that moment. Praise the Lord, though, that one young boy named Arlex did come to trust Christ as his personal Saviour.
We also want to thank Capital City Baptist Church for partnering with us this month, now bringing us close to 24%. Please pray with us that our support will continue to increase so that we can get to East Africa and that God will continue to do mighty things through our family as we travel on deputation. Thank you again for your faithfulness in prayer and support.
Your co-laborers for lost souls in East Africa,
Brandon, Ali, Jeffrey, Hannah, & Esther Heselschwerdt
Romans 10:14
