“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)
As the whole world has experienced, the year 2020 is one that will never be forgotten, and we still have much more to face. However, in spite of all the tragedies and events, we are urged by the Scriptures to rejoice in our future with the Lord. Hope means we are confident that the promises will happen; we just do not know when they will happen. In the meantime, we are to endure through our problems and constantly be in an attitude of prayer.
We continue to be in quarantine, especially for those who are under 21 and over 59 years of age. Six months is a long time to be “confined to quarters,” but the Lord has been very good to me and is drawing all of us closer to Him.
Our church continues to meet at reduced levels and to broadcast services live online. Our people continue to look for opportunities to witness, and we are still seeing God working in many lives.
An eight-year-old girl named Alexa was reached by our ministry last November before the pandemic. In the picture below, you can see her in the Sunday school class where she heard the Gospel and trusted in Christ as her Saviour. When the quarantine started in March, our Sunday school classes were closed. Tragically, Alexa was injured riding her bicycle in early August and passed away. Thank God, she was reached in time! Even with the restrictions, Bro. Emirson Ubas and his wife Clarice ministered to this mourning family. During the visitations and funeral, 15 of Alexa’s relatives trusted Christ, including her parents! Please ask the Lord that, as restrictions are lifted, this family will grow in the Lord.
Caleb, another young person from our church family, became very sick, showing signs of weakness and delirium. As he got worse, he was taken to a local hospital, where it was finally discovered that he had tuberculosis meningitis. He has since responded to the antibiotics and is on a slow road to recovery. We are so thankful to the Lord for sparing his life, lest we would “have sorrow upon sorrow” (Philippians 2:27).
I have been busy making preparations for our college’s eventual restart. The spirit among our students in our boarding houses remains strong. I have also started compiling a series to teach our people biblical doctrines on a deeper level. It is being well received. Please pray as we seek to find ways to feed our people the Word of God in spite of the quarantine restrictions.
We are praying for you to remain faithful to Christ regardless of what comes your way this year. Thank you for being amazing supporters of our work here among a needy but responsive people.
May God bless you richly,
Scott Christiansen
