It was their very first day ever to go soul winning—after attending our church for over a year, Rodolfo and Vilma had finally accepted the challenge. They showed up at our soul-winning breakfast eager to learn. I simply adore this elderly couple. Although they both must be over 80 years old, they always make a point to say hello to me and give me a huge hug. I was excited when I got paired with them to go out soul winning. After about five minutes of inviting people on the streets, Vilma exclaimed with joy, “I can’t believe we’re actually doing this!” I looked at her, a bit shocked, as she explained to me that their previous church had never gone out evangelizing. I noticed that she literally stopped to watch me every time I would pass out a tract and invite someone else to church. After a while she told me, “I can do this all the time—when I go to market or even just walking down my street in Los Incas!” “Yes!” I excitedly responded.
The following Sunday morning, I listened as my Sunday school ladies raised their hands and shared their blessings for the week. Vilma raised her hand. She excitedly told the whole class that this week she had won her first soul to Christ. She shared, “He was so excited to receive Christ, and I was so excited to lead him to the Lord that we both ended in tears.” I am so grateful to see how the Lord is working in her heart and the hearts of so many others in this important issue of soul winning. Please pray for our church members that the Lord would continue to give many others a heart to reach the lost.
This past Sunday we had a day of prayer and fasting with our whole church. We sought the Lord’s heart for a new building. We have to be out of the temporary building that we are renting by October 1, which really gives us an urgent deadline. Please pray that the Lord would provide a large enough, yet economic option that would supply the needs for our church. We are looking to rent a building for about a year while we begin a building fund to save the money needed to purchase our own place. While we would love to purchase a place right now, the cost of land and properties around us is between $750 thousand to $1 million, and we simply do not have even close to what we would need for a down payment. We are grateful that we serve the God of the impossible! I cannot wait to see how He proves Himself strong in such a personal way to our church people.
It seems the Devil has been trying his absolute best to destroy our church. Despite many attacks, the core group of members continue in faith, believing in what the Lord has done. Please pray that our families will see that our God is real and more than able to provide for our needs. Please pray that our members will stay strong in their faith and personal walks during this difficult time. Most of all, please plead with us that the Lord will give us a new building soon.
The Lord has opened up the door for Pastor Foust, our team leader, to preach at a youth conference in Iquitos. He and his wife have asked me to accompany them to share my testimony this October. Would you please pray for this conference? We would love to see the Lord touch many hearts for Him! I would also love to bring several of our teenagers with us. Would you pray that the Lord would open the doors necessary for them to come?
Gratefully serving,
Heather Kokubun
