Greetings from the state of Chihuahua, Mexico—land of gigantic burritos, heroes of the revolution, and a newly chartered church in the principal city!
On June 2, the new church in the city of Chihuahua had its official charter service. The Lord gave us a wonderful attendance, with 3 guests from the Faith Baptist Church of Berne, Indiana. They played a big part in getting the church started. Pastor Ryan Marsh preached, as did Brother Brian Lehman. The Lord gave us 5 baptisms and 10 brave souls to sign the official document to send to the federal government. It was a wonderful day of rejoicing in what the Lord has done! What a great God we serve!
I have been teaching on what a New Testament Church is and how it should operate. In July, the Lord is leading to lessons on stewardship and our first Missions Conference. I have really enjoyed teaching more than preaching for the first time in my life.
The mission the Lord established in Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, has been doing amazingly well considering how little time we have had for soul winning and visitation. He seems to be establishing a good base group of about 5 adults who have been somewhat faithful in their attendance. Last week, with just 30 minutes to go soul winning, the Lord gave us a middle-aged woman—the mother of 11 and the grandmother of 20, who got saved and came to the service!
We would be grateful for your prayers for the new church in Casas Grandes. We still need a permanent full-time pastor; by the time you get this letter, we will have had a visit from a good candidate. We are also planning a three-day evangelistic campaign August 12-15, which, if done right, should result in hundreds and maybe thousands of people hearing the Gospel and having an opportunity to get saved. A church youth group from the USA wants to come and do a missions trip that week. There are a lot of organizational things that need to come together and a lot of finances needed.
PRAYER REQUESTS
1. Growth of the people and church in Chihuahua
2. Full-time pastor for the church in Casas Grandes
3. The evangelistic campaign in Casas Grandes in August
It is amazing to think that 10 months ago, there was nothing in this part of the capital city, and now there is a well-established church! It is largely because of your prayers and support. Again, thank you very much!
Yours for souls,
Chris Sage
