“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” (Jeremiah 8:20) April is the hottest month of the year here. This verse reminds me that the days of harvest will soon be over, and how sad it will be for those who were not reached with the Gospel in time. Praise the Lord, we have seen a rich harvest recently. We have been blessed with a good increase in our adult attendance. The Sunday morning services are usually at about full capacity. It has been a joy to see new families, including the fathers, being saved and attending. During April and May, we saw 51 people follow the Lord in believer’s baptism.
My college class schedule has been especially full, but it is a joy to teach and train our dedicated students. I taught eight, 12-hour modular classes, including Biblical Character Traits I & II, Key Words of the Christian Life, Gospel of John I, II, & III, and Philosophy of Standards. We still teach the “old paths” that are fundamental, Baptist, and only from the King James Bible . . . and our students love it!
We have a saying here that “every Christian should be a soul winner.” During our Thursday night church-wide soul winning, we have seen 633 saved in April and May. On the first Thursday evening of every month, we hold a prayer meeting for the Filipino missionaries our church supports – just over 35 families! It is a joy to be in a soul-winning and missions- minded church family.
On May 24, Bro. Airo Gonzaga married Honey Grace Saradat. Bro. Airo has been with our church since it began and is on our church staff. In every service, I can look around and enjoy the sight of college graduates who have dated and married well. I rejoice as I watch them raise their children for the Lord. They have established strong families that testify that God’s way for the family is the best way.
On the home front, please continue to pray for my daughter-in-law, Emily Christiansen, who is recovering in Maine after a serious infection she acquired in Nigeria. She is making good progress. She and Caleb expect to return soon to their missionary work in Nigeria.
I know that for most of you, summer is now underway and with it all the special activities of VBS and camps. May the Lord give you a fruitful time of harvest and challenging the next generation to carry the torch of our faith until Jesus comes.
I appreciate all of you who have faithfully supported me with prayer and finances over the last 12 years. Your investments are making a difference here, and I trust that the Lord will cause you to see a harvest in the States. May your light brightly shine!
In the harvest,
Scott Christiansen
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- Mr. & Mrs. Airo Gonzaga and their wedding “sponsors”
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- Christian became a Christian during Saturday soul winning.