Personal
In my last letter, I mentioned how we needed to help Linda’s brother Bob because of his health. During July and August, we made five trips to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, an eight-hour drive, to help him. Due to the nature of his illness, we ended up moving him to a veteran’s facility run by the state of Michigan. We spent much time caring for his affairs, as well as just being with him. This has been difficult for him. He is a bachelor and has spent his life helping others. Now he is the one needing help. Linda and I are glad we could be there for him so he can get the proper care and live a relatively normal life in his new surroundings.
Preaching
From September 4 to 16, I was in Argentina with Missionaries Brian George and Larry Owens. On this trip I was able to preach in three different churches, as well as teach in the seminary run by the Bethel Baptist Church in Tucuman. I was also able to preach at a wedding. On the first weekend in Argentina, I was able to preach a Saturday and Sunday meeting with Jose Alderete, a graduate of the college who is now a pastor. This young man (on right) started with a handful of people six years ago and now has a church full of people. By his own testimony, his life was changed at the college because of the emphasis on soul winning. Below is a link to Youtube with his testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-BFlQ15Yq8.
The whole next week, I taught the book of Proverbs to the college students, as well as preached in the midweek service at Bethel Baptist Church, where one was saved. It has been a blessing to teach in the college every year for the last 12 years. Here is a picture of the students (on left).
Rodrigo, one of the college graduates, asked me to participate in his wedding. On my last Saturday in Argentina, I was able to give a brief message about marriage. It was an outdoor wedding, and the day ended up being beautiful, as was the couple.
On Sunday morning I preached in another church located in Tucuman that has one of the college graduates as its pastor. Then I finished the trip by preaching once again at Bethel Baptist Church. Brother Owens surprised me in the service by honoring me for my 12 years of teaching in the college. They gave me a plaque and allowed some people to give testimonies of how I have been a blessing to them. It has been a great blessing for me to be a part of this ministry in Argentina. Thank you for praying for me and for supporting me in these trips.
James Belisle