Thank you for praying for us as we serve the Lord in South America. Our family is doing fine. Abigail is growing so fast; it is amazing! With her big beautiful brown eyes, her soft chubby little cheeks, and her radiant smile, she regularly reminds us of the wonderful favor and blessing of God Who continually answers prayer. Amen!
The months of August and September were a very busy time of work and preparation for a new bus route called “Route B.” Our first bus route, “Route A,” was started about two years ago in a neighborhood called “Villa Salamon,” which is about 30 minutes north of our church. It has been an excellent training ground for soul winning and discipleship. We started the new route about 25 minutes south of our church in a neighborhood called “Codavisa Mirador.”
The first two Sundays, no one came to church on the new route. The people were curious but skeptical of what we were doing, because they had never heard of a church picking them up to take them to church. It was the third Sunday when God opened the doors and filled the bus with visitors. Many people were saved and some baptized as a result of much prayer, fasting, and soul winning done by our church. As of today, we have now seen many people saved and baptized as a result of this new ministry, and we now fill three buses regularly.
A man was frantically knocking at the church, so I swung the door open. It was a very ragged looking man by the name of Enoch. He reminded me that he was one of the men I saw saved and discipled a few years ago in prison when I used to preach at the prison of La Paz. He also reminded me that I told them to come to our church when they got out, because we cared for them. He looked so destitute and beat-down that it broke my heart and brought tears to my eyes. He asked for enough money to get to his village in the jungle, which was about three hours outside of La Paz. I have people regularly begging me for money for every need imaginable, so I usually tell them “No”; but I will pray with them. This time I could not stop thinking about how God took me in when I was destitute and without hope and accepted me and loved me back to a productive life of joy and blessing, so I took a chance and gave him the money. It just so happened that about 7 years ago, we took 26 soul winners from our church to that same village and won souls and knocked doors for 3 days to help another missionary start a church. Enoch is now a faithful member of that same church in the jungle; he loves God and still says that I will always be his pastor. What a great blessing to serve God with our lives!
I believe God is giving me a greater vision to reach South America. Please pray that God would give me “understanding” to know what He would have me do to fulfill His will and greater “direction” to know how to do it. Please pray for our marriage, our parenting, our health, and that our support level would increase. It is a privilege to be your missionaries in South America.
Saved and loving it!
Xavier Lopez
