A lot has happened since our last letter. We ended November with some wonderful Missions Conferences in Parkersburg, West Virginia, with Landmark Baptist Church and in Waterford, Michigan, with Lakecrest Baptist Church. We had a great time at each, making new friends, reconnecting with old ones, and being challenged by God’s Word—not to mention, we were spoiled rotten! We are very thankful for people with a heart for missions. We also had the chance to be with Community Baptist Church in Smiths Creek, Michigan. We went soul winning with them on Saturday, helped out in their teen outing, and were a part of their service on Sunday. They have a vibrant ministry for the Lord! Our last meeting in November was in Kentucky, where we were able to be with Maranatha Baptist Church. We spent two days with them and had a great time getting to know Pastor Griffis and his family.
In December, we were able to travel to Peru for two weeks! We had an amazing time. We were able to be a part of many outreaches and special events with our church. First, we held three Chocolatadas with our church in the neighborhoods surrounding our church. A Chocolatada is a Peruvian tradition of giving hot chocolate, fruitcake, and a small gift to children in the neighborhood. This has proved to be a great avenue for spreading the Gospel! Each parent that came received a copy of the book of Romans, an invitation to our Christmas Cantata, and a tract from our church. Each of them also received the full plan of salvation through personal one-on-one witnessing.
At 7:00 on Saturday morning, we took our team to the local police precinct, where we delivered more hot chocolate, as well as a copy of Romans and a tract from our church. We are thankful for a good relationship with the local police. They were very happy to have us there. My dad spoke to the officers at their roll call. He gave the plan of salvation, and the officers stood at attention and listened well. Many prayed, calling on the Lord for salvation. We then sang Christmas carols and handed out a small gift from our church.
That Saturday and Sunday, we held a Christmas Cantata at our church. It was a huge outreach. For weeks, the church members had been handing out invitations and practicing their songs and play. Cassandra and I jumped right in even though we could only attend one practice! They gave me the opportunity to lead the singing for our choir. They did a great job! Many first-time visitors came, resulting in quite a few salvations. God really blessed the efforts of our church.
Through all of our efforts, the Lord allowed us to see over 180 people saved during that time! I was very blessed to be able to lead 7 people to the Lord myself. One lady in particular named Dina received Christ on her doorstep. She lives on the hill overlooking our church. She expressed great interest in coming to church. We are praying that she will come soon. Many of
you remember Beyker and Jennifer, who accepted Christ while I was out soul winning our last time in Peru. They now attend church faithfully with their family! Beyker’s brother-in-law also received Christ last month and was baptized. God is good!
Our church’s Bible institute also finished its semester while we were in Peru. I have the privilege of teaching with the other team members even though Cassandra and I are still in the States on deputation. I do that through Zoom video calls, which allow me to be a part of the institute every Monday night. We had finals while we were in Peru, so I got to teach my class in person! We are blessed to have about 30 or so students studying for the ministry.
We ended our time in Peru with Christmas with our family. Praise the Lord, we were able to celebrate with everyone together. We made it back to America on Christmas Eve. We are now preparing to go back out on full-time deputation. We appreciate your prayers! In January alone, we will be in Maryland, Michigan, and California!
We wish you all a happy New Year! Thank you for your prayers and support. We are looking forward to what the Lord has for us in 2022.
Sincerely,
Zach Jr. & Cassandra Foust