Thank you so much for praying for our family, especially during this crisis.
God Is Still in Control
A month ago, I would not have guessed that we would be where we are today with COVID-19. A month ago, most of us were just learning about the virus, and it seemed like something that was a threat somewhere else, but not here. Now, however, it has affected most of our lives in one way or another. In my prayer letter last month, I mentioned that we were looking forward to 15 Missions Conferences or Missions Months this spring, but so far, 5 of those have been canceled. I’m thankful for a place to stay with my in-laws while we don’t have meetings and for the savings we have set aside, which will help us while we don’t have meetings. I’m grateful for the wisdom of many pastors who have had to make difficult decisions during this time. At first, when I began hearing from churches that they were canceling the meetings we had scheduled due to the virus, I was frustrated and discouraged, but then I began to trust that God is in control and that He knew that this was going to happen at this exact moment in time. One thing we can be sure of is that this will come to an end someday. Psalm 30:5 says, “. . . weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” I’m asking the Lord to have His way in my life and that I will learn what He wants to teach me during this time. I’m also asking the Lord to lead me to people (while social distancing) I can minister to and give the Gospel to, who would not normally listen.
Soul Winning in Ohio
I had the opportunity to go soul winning between meetings in Ohio on Tuesday night, March 10, with my dad. We knocked on about 20 doors, and it seemed like everyone we spoke to was either busy or not interested. We then knocked on the door of a Pentecostal lady named Clarinda. She showed us her Bible, which she read often, and she said that she even went to church some; but then she explained that she didn’t know for sure that she would go to Heaven, but she hoped to. She then listened intently for the next 20-30 minutes as I explained the plan of salvation. Through tears, she trusted in only Jesus to save her. She was so happy to know for sure that she was saved and excited about growing as a Christian! I’m thankful that the Lord led us to her apartment and that we didn’t stop at the door before hers!
March Meetings
With two of our meetings getting canceled, we ended up with two meetings and three Missions Conferences in March. The wonderful people at our first conference of the month at Calvary Baptist Church voted to support us financially the last night of the conference! We then had two good meetings on March 8 in Ohio. At a Missions Conference in Dayton, Ohio, it was obvious the people had been praying and preparing for us, as many of the church’s walls were filled with missions quotes and decorations! After that we were able to attend the last two days of our home church’s Missions Conference. I loved the theme, which was “Listen for the Trumpet.” Some parts of the conference had to be changed or canceled because of the virus, including the last night needing to be live-streamed, but we still had a good conference! We then ended the month with a wonderful Messenger Conference at Northwest Baptist Church. Praise the Lord for the good meetings He gave us in March!
Your missionaries to Uruguay,
Tim, Christa, Ethan, and Evan Simmons
